


Miraculous: How it Could Have Happened—Season One

by BroadwayCutie16



Series: Miraculous: How It Could Have Happened [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien being a dork in love, Adrien is so in love with Marinette, Brotherly Love, F/M, Marinette is clueless, Miraculous ladybug reverse love square, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug), adrien is a dork, everything else is the same
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2019-11-09 02:52:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17993471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayCutie16/pseuds/BroadwayCutie16
Summary: On his third day of school, Adrien Agreste, teen supermodel, finds himself falling head over heels for a girl in his class.  Too bad she's only got eyes for a certain leather-wearing cat hero.Meanwhile, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a normal girl with a normal life, has only two goals as Ladybug-keep París safe from the evil Hawkmoth; and win the heart of her new crime-fighting partner.  The problem?  He's got another girl on his mind, one who sits behind him in school.Explore what could have changed in the Miraculous world had the tables been turned.





	1. Stoneheart

**Author's Note:**

> Reverse Crush AU where everything is the same except the crushes are reversed. I do not own MLB.

"I have a new plan, unlike you!", said Officer Rodger.  "Move aside and let the pros do their thing!  You've already failed once!"

His words were like daggers into Marinette's heart.  Deep down, she was certain they were the truth.  After all, she was the one who had failed to catch the akuma that had transformed Ivan into Stoneheart, leading it to multiply and spread to the other citizens of Paris, turning them into creatures of stone themselves, minions awaiting the return and command of the original creation.  She had messed up once before, how could she not again?

"He's right.", she told Chat Noir.  "If I had captured Stoneheart's akuma the first time around, none if this would have happened!  I knew I wasn't the right one for this job!"  She buried her face in her hands, trying to hold back the tears.  She was a failure.  She couldn't even take on Chloe at school.  How could she have thought that she could take on a monster of stone?

Suddenly, a black, clawed hand placed itself on her shoulder.  She glanced up to see Chat Noir staring intensely at her with his glowing green eyes.  "He's wrong.", he said in a stern voice, placing the other hand on her bare shoulder.  "You are the right person for this job.  I know we haven't known each other very long, but from the moment we met, I knew you were something special.  I saw that when we first fought Stoneheart at the stadium.  You were so confident and fearless, and you inspired me to be the same."

"I believe in you, M'Lady.  No one else might, but I do. I know that you can do anything you set your mind to.  You've already proved it to me.  Now its time to show all of Paris what you're made of." He smiled wide as a mile. "Trust me on this...okay?"

Marinette's thoughts slowed down until they came to a halt entirely. He believed in her. No one had ever said that to her before. No one had ever shown such faith in her character, in her capabilities, in _her_. She had never even believed in herself. But when the words came out of his mouth, it felt like everything he spoke was the truth. She was confident. She was fearless. She _was_ the heroine Ladybug, and she was going to save Paris.

She stood there for a few more moments, drinking in every detail of Chat Noir's face—his strong yet gentle jawline, his mischievous but kind eyes, as green as emeralds, his tousled locks of gold, the way his peach-colored lips formed into a lopsided smile that made her feel secure. Every curve, every line, was slowly being etched into her memory, like an artist drawing it into the paper of her mind to keep forever.

And as soon as that artist in her mind finished sketching his image into her subconscious, everything hit her all at once.

She, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, baker's daughter, aspiring fashion designer, and newly christened hero Ladybug, was in love with her handsome, clever and kind-hearted crime-fighting partner, Chat Noir.

Setting her new realization of affection aside for the moment, she whipped out her spotted yo-yo. "You're right. Let's do this thing."  
\---------------  
Ladybug stood at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, unable to believe what had just happened. With the help and encouragement of her new partner, she had captured Stoneheart's akuma, de-evilized it, turned everything back to normal, and saved the day. The citizens of Paris had gone from booing her, to cheering her name in praise within an hour's time. "Lady-bug! Lady-bug! Lady-bug!"

"They really are made for each other, aren't they?", Chat Noir asked, referring to Ivan and Mylene, rubbing the tips of their noses together adorably. Ladybug grinned cheekily at him. "Just like the two of us, my kitty cat?", she implied in a teasing tone, eying him with a twinkle in her eye. Before he could reply, a shrill beeping sound was heard from her Ladybug earrings.

"Guess that means its time to split.", he said, taking out his black bo staff. "I'll see you around, M'Lady?" And with a wink and a salute that made Marinette weak in the knees for a moment, he took off leaping through the air. Ladybug watched him go with a goofy smile on her face and a dreamy, far-off look in her eyes. "Looking forward to it, my Kitty Chat."

She looked at Chat Noir, her heart swelling with emotions that words alone could not describe. None of this would be possible with him and his kind words. He made her feel as if she were unstoppable, like there was no obstacle that could stand in her way, no mountain she could not climb. No one had ever made her feel like that before.

She sighed contently as she watched him swing over the rooftops to who-knew-where, her cheeks turning nearly as red as her Ladybug costume. "Whoever he is underneath that mask...I love that boy."  
\-------------------  
Adrien gathered his things in his bookbag. What a rollercoaster ride this week had been for him! First, he had been stopped from going to public school by his father's assistant and his bodyguard. Then, a mysterious jewelry box had appeared out of nowhere in his room, containing a mystical being in the form of a tiny black cat that granted him the power of destruction, making him a superhero. As such, he could take on a whole new identity, an identity without responsibilities and loneliness, with nothing holding him down.

After trying out his newfound freedom as Chat Noir, Adrien had successfully snuck off to public school, only to have Chloe ruin it for him by being, well, Chloe. Everyone at school assumed that anyone who was friends with the snobby queen bee was just as spoiled and stuck-up as she was. And no one believed this more than Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette hated him. Not just for being friends with Chloe, but over an awful misunderstanding. Chloe had thought it would be funny to stick a wad of her pre-chewed bubblegum on Marinette's seat. Adrien had witnessed the prank and attempted to scrape off the gum before Marinette could sit on. Unfortunately, Marinette had walked in on him fiddling with it, and exploded, thinking that he was the one who had put it there in the first place. She ignored his attempts to try and explain, and Chloe did not jump to his defense and confess to her own crime.

Adrien thanked whoever it was up there that Nino had taken a chance on him. The boy with glasses and a red baseball cap had seen the whole thing. He knew that Adrien was innocent, and asked why the teen model had not called Chloe out for his misdoings. He replied that Chloe was the only friend he had, to which Nino responded by introducing himself, shaking his hand, and commenting that it was time Adrien made new friends.

Finally, with his new friend and hero partner, Ladybug, at the front reins, he had helped saved Paris from Stoneheart and his army of rock creatures, setting Ivan free from the control of the evil Hawkmoth and his akumas. Adrien knew that it would not be the last time they would save the innocent from his wicked ways, and that they would stop at nothing until he was stripped of his miraculous and was no longer a threat.

But perhaps the happiest moment was earlier that day, when his father had actually allowed him to go to public school, no strings attached. Nathalie was even going to rearrange his entire schedule to work around school hours. After so many years of being on the outside looking in, he was finally getting a chance to be with others his age, to make friends of his own.

He glanced out the window. The clouds had rolled in, turning dark grey, and drops of water were starting to fall from the sky. Good thing Nathalie had packed him an umbrella. He dug it out of his bookbag, and headed towards the exit of the school. As he came to the doorway, he stopped when he saw Marinette standing there, looking up at the clouds overhead and frowning. She must not have anything to shield her from the rain.

For a moment, Adrien considered trying to tell her the truth again about the chewing gum. She still thought he was the guilty party, and had given him the cold shoulder all day. But the next thought reminded him that as long as that first impression hung in her memory, she would likely not listen to him if he tried to explain. Still, although she hated his guts, he hated to see her so frustrated. If she walked home in this weather, she would surely get soaked. He glanced at his umbrella, and an idea popped into his mind.

Coming up behind her, he tapped her gently on the shoulder, getting her attention. She glanced behind her, saw Adrien, and whipped back around with a "hmph!". Walking to stand next to her, he opened his umbrella up and held it out, protecting her from the raindrops. Noticing the lack of dribbles on on her shoulders, she looked back at him to see him smiling kindly at her. "Take it."

She blinked twice, confused. He caught on, and repeated, "You can have it. You need it more than I do." Without a word, Marinette took the umbrella from him. They stood like that for a minute, silent, him smirking and her staring with a blank look on her face. Finally, she spoke. "Thanks." He shrugged. "Its no biggie. I'm getting a ride home."

No sooner had he spoken such, the gleaming silver car pulled up in front of the school, waiting for him. "See you tomorrow.", he said with a wave before hurrying away towards the car.  Marinette silently watched him go, perplexed.  How did Adrien go from pulling childish jokes on her to giving her his umbrella?  It didn't make sense in her mind.

As the car pulled away, Marinette struggled to understand this strange new situation, when she suddenly heard a soft, high-pitched voice from behind her.  "Wow.  Adrien must really like you."  She turned her head to see Sabrina standing next to her, her own goggled eyes focused on the luxury vehicle driving away.  Marinette raised one eyebrow at her.  "What makes you say that?"  "I mean, first he tries to get Chloe's gum off your seat, then he—"  Sabrina slapped her hand over mouth once she'd realized what she'd said, but by then, it was too late.

Marinette jolted upright at that, her head snapping as it whipped around to stare at the shorter redhead with wide crystal blue eyes.  "Wait!  What?!"  Sabrina stumbled over her words for a few agonizing moments before she cried, "Coming, Chloe!", and went running off in the rain, leaving Marinette standing on the steps alone to process this new information.

Sabrina hadn't given her much to go by, but, knowing Chloe, Marinette could guess exactly what had happened now.  _Chloe_ had put the gum on her seat, and Adrien had only been trying to remove it before it did any harm.  Suddenly, a sick feeling churned in the pit of her stomach.  If that was true, she had acted like a total jerk to him.  And yet, after she had treated him, he had still been nice enough to give her his umbrella.

With her newfound confidence and knowledge, Marinette knew exactly what she had to do.  And she thought of a creative way to do it.  
\---------------  
Marinette sat on the front steps of school, anxiously watching the road before her.  On her lap, she held a box with the logo of her parents' bakery on the lid.  When Alya had asked about it, Marinette had simply replied, "You'll see."  The other classmates went about their business, doing their own thing, waiting for the first bell to ring.

Soon, a sleek gray car pulled up in front, and Marinette smiled shyly as Adrien stepped out, wearing a huge grin on his face.  His smile faded somewhat as he was met by disapproving eye-rolls and groans from most of the students around him, but he straightened up and faced them, unwavering.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette rose to her feet and walked past her friends and classmates, ignoring their looks of confusion and discouragement, right up to Adrien, who seemed surprised to see her approach him, let alone with a smile on her face.  Just yesterday, she had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.  And yet, here she was, smiling at him nonetheless.

She spoke first.  "Hi."  He coughed a bit nervously.  "Hey."  Biting down on her lower lip, she spoke in a kinder, gentler tone of voice than she had used the first time they met.  "Look...I know what really happened.  I know you didn't put the gum on my seat."  Adrien looked even more surprised, matching the expressions on the others gathered around.  "You do?"  "I have a reliable source who told me.  Accidentally, but still."

She sighed heavily.  "I'm really sorry.  I never should have jumped to conclusions like that.  It was wrong of me to assume I knew you from first glance.  If you could forgive me, I'd really like to get know who you really are."  Adrien smiled in relief.  "I'd really like that.  Thank you."

"Just one question.", Marinette asked with growing curiosity.  "Why didn't you tell me Chloe did it?  I know what's she like, I would have believed it."  Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets.  "I didn't want to make her mad.  She's the only friend I have."  "Why _are_ you friends with her?", Marinette asked.  Maybe Chloe had brainwashed him into befriending her, like she had Sabrina.

Adrien kicked the sidewalk pavement with the toe of his sneaker.  "She's a family friend.  Our fathers are close.  She's really all I have.  My father doesn't usually let me out of his sight.  I've never been to real school before.  I've never been able to make my own friends."  Marinette's heart went out to him, this lonely, sheltered boy who they had judged so poorly and too quickly.  She smiled at him, placing her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.  "You just made one right now."

She held out the box from the bakery.  "Here.  I made you these.  To make it up to you."  She flipped the lid open, and the scent of chocolate flooded Adrien's nostrils.  Sitting inside the box was a trio of rich chocolatey croissants, arranged in a fan design for flair.  A smile swiftly spread across his face.  "You made those?  They look amazing!"  Marinette shrugged.  "Its no biggie.", she said, cleverly quoting his statement yesterday.  "My parents own a bakery.  Here, take them."

Adrien looked at her.  No one had shown such kindness since his mother had disappeared months before.  Not his father, not Nathalie, not even Chloe, who practically worshipped the ground on which he walked.  The fact that she would do this for him, to apologize for acting so bitter towards him at their first meeting, left him no words.

Suddenly, as if for the first time, he saw her through new eyes.  He noticed the way the sun shone off her dark silky pigtails, how her bluebell eyes glimmered with the spark of joy and gentility.  The warm, caring smile she wore on her own smooth pink lips warmed his own heart like the piping hot croissants she was offering him.

Then, like a clap of thunder, it hit him.

Slowly, he reached out and took the box from her, feeling electricity where their fingers touched.  He was so caught off guard by this strange new sensation that he dropped the box almost immediately, spilling the croissants.  Luckily, she was quick to action, snatching the box back from him and catching the pastries in it before they had a chance to reach the ground.

Marinette giggled at his clumsiness.  "Its cool.", she chucked, handing him the box.  "I'm kind of a klutz, too."  Seeing her laugh it off put him at ease, and Adrien started laughing along with her.  "See you inside.", she said, waving at him as she hurried towards the school entrance, Alya close in tow.  He couldn't take his eyes off her retreating form.

Nino slapped him on the back.  "See, dude?  I told you things would start looking up."  Then he noticed Adrien had frozen completely, his body and face still in the same condition as they had been when Marinette had placed the box of croissants in his hands.  "Dude?"  He waved his hand in the model's face, but it didn't change.  "Are you okay?"

"No...", Adrien said at last, shaking his head, his voice trembling.  "I think I'm sick."  Max stepped forward and placed a hand on Adrien's forehead.  "Hmmm...his face _is_ unusually warm."  "Its not just that.", Adrien continued.  "My head feels like its spinning, my heart is beating faster than normal, and my stomach is twisting into knots as we speak."

Ivan quirked a brow.  "Wait a minute...this wouldn't have started when Marinette gave you those croissants, would it?"  Adrien stared at him.  "Yes!  How did you guess?!"  Ivan and Mylene exchanged glances and smiles at each other, then with Kim, Alix, Max, and finally, Nino looked at them with the same cheeky expression.  "What?", Adrien asked, completely in the dark.  "What is it?"

"You're sick, alright.", Alix said.  " _Love_ sick!"  "Huh?"  "Dude!", Nino cried.  "You have a crush on Marinette!"  Adrien blinked twice.  "I do?"  He looked back at Marinette, glancing back at him from over her shoulder, her pale pink lips curved into a happy smile that sent butterflies fluttering in his gut.  "I...I've never had a crush before.  Is this what it feels like?"  The others nodded.

Just like that, Adrien Agreste, son of fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, teen male supermodel, and secret hero Chat Noir, was in love with his sweet, kind and beautiful new classmate, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

As the others departed with knowing smiles, Adrien stood rooted to his spot, the full force of the situation sinking in, making him smile wider.  Plagg poked his head out of the satchel, smiling up at his chosen one.  "Congratulations!  Two days of school and you have your first crush!"  Adrien just chuckled as he continued to eye Marinette.

As she entered the school grounds, Marinette came face-to-face with Chloe, whose face was turning redder than Ladybug's costume.  "And just what did you think you were doing?", she asked in a shrill, threatening voice.  "Giving gifts to _my_ Adriekins?!  I’M his best friend!"  Marinette glared her nemesis down.  "Really?  Well, some friend!  A real friend wouldn't have pull a prank and then let him take the blame when it goes downhill!"

"Wait!  YOU put the gum on our seat?!", Alya cried.  "And you were going to let him take the fall for it?!"  "That's low, Chloe!", Nathaniel snapped.  "Even for you."  Chloe sputtered in shock, taken aback as everyone turned against her.  "How did you know?!"  Marinette glanced behind the blonde to see Sabrina cowering, her eyes wide with fear that the blunette would squeal on her.  Instead, Marinette just said, "I have my sources."

"Anyway, its okay.", she continued.  "Because now that everyone knows the truth, Adrien's going to get some _real_ friends, who actually have his back."  The rest of the class nodded in agreement.  Chloe huffed and spun on her heel, storming towards the stairs to go to class, Sabrina following like a dog following it's master.

As the others departed, Marinette stole one last peek back at Adrien, still standing on the edge of the pavement where she had left him.  She gave him a supportive smile.  Tikki poked her head out of her purse and smiled.  "You love him, don't you?"  Marinette gave her kwami a half-joking stern look.  "What?!  No, Tikki, he's just a friend.  And that's all he needs right now.  A friend."

She took her sketchbook out of her bag and opened it up.  Inside was a bunch of drawings she had done, all of a certain green-eyed hero with tousled blond hair, all clad in black leather.  "Besides,", she mused, a smitten look on her face as she flipped through the pages.  "I have my heart set on another man."

Neither Marinette nor Adrien noticed the old man from earlier, standing at the corner, partially hidden by a black umbrella, despite the fact that it was sunny and clear.  Next to him, a tiny green creature floated by his shoulder.  "Excellent choice, master."  "Those two were made for each other.", Master Fu remarked.


	2. Stormy Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Marinette crosses his path in the park, Adrien hopes to impress her, but an akuma threatens to rain on his parade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own MLB. Credit for that goes to Thomas Astruc.

It was a sunny day in the famed city of Paris. The birds were chirping in perfect harmony, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a shame that not a lot of people noticed how nice the weather was. Today was the day that KIDZ+ would be picking a winner for which lucky lady would get to be their official weather girl.

They had started with five thousand contestants, and after weeks of voting, there were only two finalists, Aurore Beauréal and Mireille Caquet. It all came down to today, where the viewers of the show would be voting on a final winner. Nearly every teenager in Paris was on the edge of their seats to find out who would win it all. They were all either at home, watching the drama unfold on their TV screens, or at the studio to see the pizzazz in real life.

One of those teens was not Adrien Agreste. His father had decided since all the action would be elsewhere, it would be the perfect day to do a photoshoot in the park, where no one could disturb them. Adrien didn't mind all that much. He didn't have time to watch TV at all, let alone KIDZ+. He was too busy juggling his new public school schedule with his lessons and modeling duties at home. Besides, he relished any opportunity to be outdoors instead of locked away in his home.

Adrien was in the heart of the park right now, posing in front the white fountain as the photographer snapped away. "Magnifico! Super!", he cried in delight, finding new ways to position the camera. "I want to see the hunger in your eyes!" Adrien's focus was stolen when he momentarily glanced behind the photographer and noticed Nino running over towards where they had set up.

"Dude! Dude! Dude! Dude! Dude!" He arrived at the fountain and took a step towards Adrien, only to be blocked by his bodyguard. "Not now!", the photographer commanded, still taking pictures. "The framing is just right!" Adrien smiled at his best friend. "Hey, Nino! Glad you accepted my invite.", he said, not getting out of his pose. "What's with the rush?"

"Dude! You'll never guess who's on their way to the park!", Nino exclaimed between pants. "Who?", Adrien asked, redirecting his attention towards the camera. Nino caught his breath and cried, "Marinette!" At that single name, Adrien's poise was instantly shattered, as the shock from what he heard caused him to fall backwards into the fountain with a splash. Ignoring his new wetness, he sat up and gaped at Nino. "Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She's coming here now?!"

Nino's head bounced up and down in enthusiasm. "As we speak, dude." Adrien pulled himself out of the fountain, grabbing the towel his bodyguard offered to quickly dry himself off. "I thought she'd be watching the KIDZ+ contest on TV or something." "Well, she's babysitting for a friend of her mom's.", Nino explained. "She told me she wanted the kid to get some fresh air. I ran into her on the way here, and I rushed to find you to tell you the news."

Adrien ruffled his flaxen blond tresses dry as he kept grinning. "This is the chance I've been waiting for!", he said as he handed the towel back to his guard. "When she passes by here, I'll act real cool, like its no big deal." "Then what?", asked Nino, walking over towards his buddy.

"Then...I'll invite her for a smoothie after the photoshoot!", he gushed. "And then, we'll elope together to an island where we'll live off nothing but fruit in a cute little house that we built ourselves! We'll have two kids—no, three!—and we'll get a dog! No, a cat! Wait! I know! A hamster! She loves hamsters!"

He was pulled out of his perfect vision of the future by the strange looks he was receiving from Nino, the photographer and the bodyguard. "What?" "Uh...let's just start with the smoothie and then see where that goes.", said Nino, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "That is, if you can even spit out the right words." Adrien frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Dude, in case you've forgotten, you don't have the best track record with talking to Marinette.", Nino reminded him. "Remember last time you tried? You stuttered so much and for so long, she took you to the nurse because she thought you were having a seizure. You were all like, 'I...I...wh...'." The dark-skinned boy did an impersonation of his blond friend to emphasize his point, flailing his arms around and wagging his tongue.

Adrien sighed as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. You would think as a teen supermodel and heartthrob, Adrien Agreste would have no trouble wooing girls. And he usually did without even trying—save for the one girl he actually _wanted_ to woo. One look from those beautiful ocean blue eyes was all it took to make his brain stop working, and he would fumble over his words for what felt like eternity before either giving up and running away or ending with an corny pickup line that made him groan internally afterwards.

The photographer cut into their conversation. "Wait...lemme see if I have this correct..." He turned to Adrien. "You have barely spoken to this young lady, and you are already talking about eloping and having babies together?" Adrien's face turned even redder. "I guess I am getting a little ahead of myself."

Suddenly, he was being shaken by Nino, who was pointing away from where they stood. "Dude! There she is!" Adrien's gaze followed Nino's finger towards the park entrance, where Marinette was entering, with a small child in purple overalls and stringy brown pigtails holding her hand. Adrien felt his heart skip a beat before it went into overdrive, as his mind pictured her in the same position with a child that possessed his blond hair and her blue eyes.

Marinette lifted her head to scan the park areas, and her eyes fell on Adrien and Nino, still staring at her. Her carnation pink lips curled into a smile as she lifted one hand to wave at them. Every muscle in Adrien's body froze as he wagged his hand back at her. "Did you see that?", he whispered to Nino, his voice high from excitement. "She waved at me!" "Yeah, I saw.", Nino remarked cynically. "Pretty normal, since you guys are in the same class."

Adrien felt his heartbeat accelerate when she started walking towards the fountain area where they were. "She's coming over here!", he cried, his voice containing a mixture of joy and panic. "How do I look? How's my hair? Are my clothes straight?" "Dude, you look fine.", said Nino, raising an eyebrow at his bro's paranoia. If they weren't best friends, he would swear the blonde boy was looney.

"Fine isn't good enough!", Adrien whisper-yelled. He looked back at Marinette approaching. "Oh man, she's getting closer!" He pulled himself together. "Okay, you can do this. Be cool. Just be cool. Just act like you do when you're getting your picture taken. You are confident. You are suave. You can do this. Eye of the tiger."

"Hi, Nino. Hi, Adrien.", said Marinette, her gentle, melodious voice rendering Adrien's earlier pep talk completely void. "Hey!...Marinette!", he squawked out, a little too loudly. "Fancy bumping into you here!" "Oh, I'm babysitting Manon.", said Marinette, referring to the little girl staring up at them. "It was just one of those things where I just couldn't say no. I'm such a pushover, huh?"

"No, no, no, not at all!", Adrien insisted. "I think you're wonderful!" He gulped when he realized what he had said. "To...to do that! Its so nice!" He mentally breathed a sigh of relief. _Saved_ _it!_ Marinette looked behind him. "I see you're doing a photoshoot!" "Oh, yeah!", Adrien said, flustered. "Just typical super-famous model stuff! Nothing much!" "Mind if I watch?", she asked. "I've never seen one in real life before. It'd be so cool!"

Adrien smiled hopefully. Whenever he was modeling, he was always the kind of person he wished he could be around Marinette—smooth, sexy and sure of himself. Maybe if she could see him in action, she would be impressed, and he'd have a better chance of getting a "yes" when he asked her for that smoothie afterwards. "Yes! Yes! Of course—"

He caught himself before he sounded too eager, clearing his throat to start over. "I mean—sure, if you want. I don't mind."  
\--------------  
So far, the plan wasn't going as Adrien had hoped. He tried to act like the picture of confidence and handsomeness, but he couldn't concentrate with Marinette's pretty blue eyes staring at him the whole time. The brain of his that was always at it's sharpest when doing shoots like this suddenly giving off wonky signals to the rest of his body, and he kept fumbling and doing the wrong poses.

"This is not working!", the photographer exclaimed in agony. "Gimme the smile when your momma brings spaghetti!" Adrien pictured such, only instead of "Momma", it was Marinette bringing over a bowl of the piping hot noodles. "Yes! Yes, that's it!", said the photographer, finally sounding pleased as he took more pictures. "Okay, now Momma dropped the spaghetti! Eat the spaghetti off the floor! Yes, you're angry! Show me angry!"

"Marinette!", Manon cried suddenly. Everyone looked to see the small child tugging at Marinette's pink pants and crying out. "Can I have a balloon with Mireille on it?! Can I?! Can I?! Please! Please! Please!" "Silenzio!", screamed the photographer. Nino shared a glance with Adrien before turning to Manon. "C'mon, little dudette! I'll get you that balloon!"

"Noooooooo!", Manon wailed, hugging Marinette's leg. "I wanna go with Marinette!" Marinette looked at the annoyed bodyguard and photographer before looking back at her young ward. "Thanks, Nino, but I'll deal with it. I am her babysitter." Adrien jumped to his feet. "I'll go with you! I bet I can get the guy to give it to you free of charge!" "Yay!", Manon cheered, happy at the idea of a free balloon.

"No!" The photographer thickly-accented voice ran through the air like a church bell. He motioned for Adrien to sit back down. "You will stay here and finish ze shoot, like we planned!" "Its okay, Adrien.", said Marinette, giving him a grateful smile. "I got this. You keep doing your shoot."

Adrien's face fell almost instantly seeing Marinette waddle away, Manon still clinging to her leg. And just when he was getting back into the groove.  
\----------------  
After she got Manon a balloon, Marinette was dragged to the merry-go-round by the little one. Nino tried to get Marinette to watch the rest of the shoot, but she told him that she had promised Manon a ride on the fake horses. And when Nino saw the baby-doll eyes that Manon was giving them, he knew Marinette was a goner.

With Marinette distracted from seeing him in action, his plan to impress her gone out the window, he lost his energy and his face went sad. It was fine for a few shots, but after almost fifty with the same facial expression, the photographer grew frustrated with his subject's lack of passion.  "No, no!  Ze boy has eaten too much spaghetti!"  "We need more energy!  More romance!  We need—"

He cut himself off, a clever smirk coming easily to his face.  Perhaps there was a way to make the young Agreste happy _and_ make the photoshoot a success.  "We need a girl!"  He spun around to Nino.  "You!  Go get the girl with ze pink pants and ze pigtails!"  Adrien's enthusiasm came back in bundles.  Pose with Marinette?  Talk about a dream come true!  He vowed he would cut out the article with their picture and keep it to show their future children one day.

Nino reacted immediately to the photographer's demand and made a b-line for the merry-go-round, where Marinette was placing Manon on a white-and-purple unicorn.  "Hey!  They need an extra to pose with Adrien!", he told her between pants.  "The photographer wants you!"  Marinette's face brightened.  "Me?!  Pose for a real fashion magazine?!  Wow!"

"Why are you guys pushing to be with Adrien?", Manon asked rather loudly.  "Is he your boyfriend?"  Marinette laughed.  "What?  No!  You got it all wrong!  He's a good friend, that's all."  Nino silently thanked whoever was up there that Adrien was out of earshot of that one.  "Well, whaddaya waiting for?"  Marinette frowned.  "I don't know...what about Manon?"

Nino stepped onto the ledge of the merry-go-round assertively.  "Leave it me!  I've got a little brother back home!  I know how to deal with little monsters like these."  He climbed onto the fake unicorn behind Manon.  "You take care of Prince Charming, I'll take care of Miss Unicorn."  Manon crossed her arms and pouted.  "No!  Marinette's my babysitter!"

Marinette looked uncertainly at Nino, who only smirked and gave her a thumbs up.  "Trust me, dude."  He pumped his fist into the air.  "Unicorns unite!  Let's journey on this majestic creature to the magical land of Reespa!  We will find some sad little village kids and grant them wishes!  Yee-haw!"  Enamored, Manon mimicked his actions and his words.  "Yee-haw!"  Seeing Manon was happy, Marinette relaxed and hurried towards where they had set up shoot.

Adrien's heart started pounding in his chest when he saw Marinette making her way towards him.  This was it!  He was going to pose with her for a magazine!  Then they woukd always have that special moment to share together.  Then she would fall in love with him, and they would start dating, and they would get married, and—

His train of happy thought was cut short by the sound of a civilian screaming in terror.  He looked up to see a girl, around his age, covered in night black and jet purple, flying overhead above the people in the park.  Her electric violet dress had a glowing purple lightning bolt in the center, and most of her arms and legs were covered in white clothing.  The pigtails in her hair were striped black and lavender, and a black eye mask covered her face.

In her hand, she held a black and neon violet umbrella, which she thrust towards the unprepared crowds, sending a frosty blast onto the park and covering the merry-go-round in a dome of solid ice, trapping Nino and Manon within it's frozen walls.  The inside was so cold, the balloon of Mireille that Marinette had bought turned to ice as well, shattering to pieces that fell to the grassy ground like a glass vase.  
\-----------------  
Marinette immediately ran away to a secluded spot in the park.  Checking to make sure everyone around her was distracted, she opened her pink shoulder purse, and the red spotted head of Tikki, her loyal kwami, popped out.  "Time to transform.", said Marinette.  "Tikki, spots on!"  
\-----------------  
A part of Adrien wanted to swear.  Here he was, so close and yet so far.  But he couldn't focus on that now.  He needed to transform.  Slipping away when his bodyguard and photographer weren't looking, he dove behind some equipment cases and looked in his satchel, only to be horrified when he found it empty.  "Plagg?  Plagg?!  Plagg!"

"I'm not here.", rang out a nasally voice. "I'm sleeping." Adrien smirked. Luckily, he knew exactly how to draw his trickster kwami out of hiding. Reaching into a hidden compartment in his over-shirt, he held up a ripe piece of camembert. Almost immediately, the tiny black cat flew out of hiding and attached himself to the piece of dairy. "For your information, I can smell cheese in my sleep.", he spoke in a matter-of-factly tone. "Its one of my many talents."

Adrien smirked and shook his head. "No time to talk cheese! Plagg, claw out!" The cat kwami was pulled away from his desired morsel and sucked into Adrien's silver ring.  
\-----------------  
Chat Noir rubbed his chin, which was healing from hitting the street pavement from over twenty feet in the air. He supposed all of the ice and cold puns teed Stormy Weather off more than usual. Oh, well. At least his crime-fighting appreciated his clever play on words.

"I though cats always landed on their feet." Speak of the angel, and she appeared. Ladybug stood over him right now, a hand outstretched to help him to his feet, which he gladly accepted. "Thanks, M'Ladybug, but I had it covered." He playfully pecked her fingers, not feeling them stiffen upon contact with his lips. She quickly pulled her hand back and turned her head away so that he wouldn't see her blush.

The excited fangirl squeals in her mid were drowned out by the sounds of the blustering icy winds bringing in Stormy Weather. "We should be expecting lightning storms!", the villain announced triumphantly. "Like right NOW!" Pointing her umbrella towards the sky, the sky went black, and the clouds turned from fluffy white to danger gray. Moments later, bolts of purple lightning shot from them, aiming right for Paris's superheroes.

Ladybug leapt into action, diving towards Chat Noir and pushing him out of the way before the lightning struck him, and it was game over. They tumbled for a few feet before they stopped, her lying on her back and him kneeling on top of her, hands positioned on either side of her to keep balanced. When she opened her eyes to see her crush, looking down at her with those beautiful peridot green eyes, partially hidden by those tousled golden bangs, she almost spontaneously combust.

He shot her a half grin as he scrambled away from him, embarrassed by the situation. "Sorry.", he quickly said, going back to his feet. Then, with determination gleaming behind the mask he wore, he faced Stormy Weather. "You just won yourself a catfight!" Reminding herself of their current predicament, Ladybug jumped back to her feet, trying to shift her focus back to the mission and not on Chat's adorable pun.  
\-------------------  
Ladybug wandered through the black darkness. Thanks to Stormy Weather's clever thinking, the spotted heroine could not see a foot in front of her. She was saved by a clawed hand grabbing her covered one. "Do I hear a damsel in distress?", asked a suave voice, and Ladybug felt her thoughts stop cold for a moment, realizing who it was.

"N-Not all of us have night vision!", she said, hoping that her nerves did not betray her voice. "No need to bug out!", he said, pulling her off her feet towards who-knows-where. "Just trust me!" "Always!", she replied happily. Chat Noir was person who would always have her full trust.

Ladybug and Chat Noir booked it up the stairs to the roof of the KIDZ+ TV studio for the final showdown with Stormy Weather. When they arrived there, she was waiting, set up against the shape of the forming storm clouds blocking out the sun as she hovered high in the air. She laughed seeing them look at her. "You airheads! You fell right into my trap!" She then summoned a deadly tornado to surround them, trapping the young heroes with her. "There's no way out! Party's over, fools!"

Ladybug glared at the akumatized villainess. "We're just—" In a second, she realized that she was still holding Chat Noir's hand from when he had guided her through the darkness. She gawked at their linked fingers, drawing his attention to her, noticing too that their hands were still joined. It took about fifteen whole seconds for her brain to start working again, but not before he quickly took his hand back. "We're-We're just getting started!", declared Ladybug, sounding just a little less sure than before.

Ladybug thrust her yo-yo high into the air, calling out, "Lucky charm!" The yo-yo released a flurry of spotted magical ladybugs before morphing into a red bath towel with large, round black spots on it. "A bath towel?", Ladybug questioned as the cloth fell into her awaiting hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?" "Good.", said Chat Noir, shrugging his shoulders. "So we're about to be obliterated, but at least we'll be dry."

Stormy Weather summoned a hailstorm, sending chunks of ice falling from the sky. Chat Noir was quick to react, whipping out his bo staff and spinning it over their heads so fast, it created a shield over them. "Hope you have a plan!", he said, focusing on the speed of his spinning. "Because my arms are getting tired!"

Ladybug used her Lucky Vision to see where the towel would take her. Several pipes lit up red with black spots, then the towel wrapped around her arm, and finally the billboard behind Stormy Weather. Her nimble mind crafted a carefully-constructed plan. "See that billboard over there?", she cried, pointing at it. "Go get it!"

Chat Noir grinned mischievously. "Alright!" He reared back a hand to summon a Cataclysm when he felt a gentle touch on his arm, and looked down to see Ladybug, glancing up at her beloved partner with glassy blue eyes. "But please be careful."  He sent her a wink that nearly made her melt right then and there.  "You know I will, Bugaboo."  
\----------------  
Marinette came running back to the park as soon as Stormy Weather was defeated and de-akumatized.  She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Nino and Manon were warm and unharmed.  The little girl ran up to her babysitter and hugged her tightly.  "Marinette!", she cried as the blue-eyed older girl picked her up.  "I know your secret!"  A panicked look crossed Marinette's face.  "Wh-What secret?"

"Ladybug is your best friend!", Manon giggled.  "That's how you always know what the other one's gonna do!"  Marinette breathed a sigh of relief that she hoped neither Manon nor Nino noticed.  The bespectacled boy pointed behind them.  "Adrien's waiting for you!"  Said blonde was indeed sitting at the water fountain, awaiting the arrival of his dark-haired crush.  "Really?  You don't think its too late?", she asked.  Nino shook his head.  Marinette smiled and straightened up.  "Alright.  Let's do this."

Adrien twiddled his thumbs, tired from having to save the day once again.  This particular time had been a very close call.  He was sore and exhausted, and all he really wanted was to lie down in bed.  Then, he glanced up to see Marinette making her way towards where he sat, still carrying Manon, and all pain and sleepiness washed away.

"I'm ready!", she told the photographer.  "Let's do this!"  Adrien could not contain the massive grin on his face.  This was it.  He was actually getting the chance to model with the girl he adored.  Their picture together would actually appear in magazines.  This was the first step towards a bright new wonderful life toge—

"Stop!"  The photographer's words sliced through Adrien's thoughts like a knife through the center of a fruit.  He pointed a fingerless-gloved finger at Manon, as if he were noticing her presence for the first time, when in fact, she had been here all day.  "Who is this angel?"  "Oh, this is Manon!", said Marinette.  "Say hi, Manon!"  The little girl waved at the photographer, whose face was beaming with the glow of inspiration.

"She is exactly what we need!", he exclaimed.  "May I borrow for ze shoot?  I swear on my vision that she will come to no harm!"  Adrien jumped back to his feet.  This was _not_ part of the plan.  "Huh?  What about Marinette?"  "Its okay, Adrien.", the blunette assured him, handing Manon off to the photographer.  "I don't mind.  I'm not much of a model anyway."

The photographer ignored the disappointed look on Adrien's face as he plopped Manon into the Agreste boy's arms.  "I thought you were gonna _help_ me!", he hissed.  "Apologies, mousier Agreste.", the photographer whispered back.  "Ze shoot comes first."  Adrien stole a glance at Marinette, who was smiling in the way that made his heart flutter.

Then she said something that changed everything.  "You two look so cute together."  And that was all it took for Adrien to regain his smile for the rest of the shoot.

So, Adrien didn't get the moment with Marinette that he had hoped for.  But it had still turned out to be a great day.


	3. The Bubbler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets a gift for his birthday from someone special that makes up for his best friend getting akumatizes later on.

"Seriously, dude?", asked Nino as he gently blew some bubbles into the air in front of him. "Has your dad always been a downer? Doesn't he remember what it's like to wanna party?" Adrien sighed. "No, I'm pretty sure he was a downer back then, too." Today was his fifteenth birthday, and already it wasn't off to a good start when his father had denied him a birthday party.

Adrien honestly hadn't known what he was expecting. His father was a secretive and distant man, even towards his own son. Sure, he had always been that way, but those traits seemed to have amplified after his wife's disappearance months prior. Adrien's knew he would probably get a "no", but he had still hoped. He shrugged it off, trying hard not to let the disappointment get to him. "At least I tried."

"Its your b-day, dude!", Nino said, throwing a arm around his shoulder. "Insist! Leave it to me! I'm gonna have a chat with your pops!" Adrien hung his head. "Don't waste your time. He won't change his mind." Besides, such interference would probably only fan the flames. So far, all his hopes for his birthday were falling right in front him. He felt a gloom overtake him.

Suddenly, that same gloom was instantly lifted when he heard a voice as sweet as sugar, with a tone that was almost musical, from right next to him. "Adrien!" He spun around at once to see Marinette approaching him from up the sidewalk. She was waving at him, making his heart skip a beat before thumping twice as fast. Under her arm, she held a long, thin package wrapped in periwinkle paper and tied with a pink ribbon.

"Marinette! H-Hi!", he said, nervously waving back. Nino smirked seeing the smile reappear on his buddy's face at the sight of his crush. "Whassup, dudette?" "Hi, Nino.", she said before turning her attention back to the blonde. "Happy birthday, Adrien!" His breath caught in his throat. "You-You remembered?" "Of course, silly.", she giggled in that way that gave his tummy butterflies. "What are friends for?"

She held the box out to him. "I made you this. I hope you like it!" Adrien gaped at the box in disbelief. She had made him a birthday present? He looked at Nino, who was wiggling his eyebrows. The capped boy nudged his best friend, and the model sprung back to life, taking the box from Marinette. Keeping a nervous grin on his face, he gently tore away the paper, untied the ribbon, and opened the box.

Sitting inside, perfectly folded, was a beautiful handmade scarf, the same color as Marinette's lovely bluebell eyes. Taking it out, he found the material soft to the touch, almost like cashmere. Adrien smiled at her dreamily. "Thanks...this is great." Marinette smiled as she reached for the scarf. "Here, let me help you put it on."

Adrien forgot how to breathe as she took the scarf and moved towards to him. She was so close to him, he could feel her breath on his skin as she slung the garment over his shoulders and tied it in a loose knot at his throat. "There.", she said, taking a step back with her hands on her hips as she gave him a good look over. "It looks good on you."

Adrien internally swooned as a goofy grin appeared on his face. "You're beautiful." He reacted to his own words immediately. "I mean—its beautiful! The scarf is! Not that you're not! I mean...I'm really scarfing this thing down." Nino facepalmed at his friend's horrible pun. Marinette blinked twice, confused. "Okay...I'll see you in class."

Adrien watched her leave, waving absentmindedly. He took the material of the scarf and inhaled, elated to find that it held a bit her scent, her scent of lilac perfume and freshly-baked butter croissants. To think that she made this present, with her own two hands, made his heart sing. Now he had a little thing of hers, to keep with him always.

Despite a rocky start, this birthday was actually turning out to be the best one yet. Not even Nino getting akumatized later on in the day could spoil it.  
\-----------------  
Adrien smiled as he looked at his surroundings. Everyone was dancing and laughing and having a good time in the courtyard of his father's manor. He knew he shouldn't be enjoying Nino's akumatization into the Bubbler, but he couldn't help it. Because of it, he was finally getting the birthday party he had so hoped for. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if Marinette were here.

Just then, the music shifted from a pumping party anthem to a romantic slow ballad. Around Adrien, people started pairing up and holding each other close. Heading back towards where the Bubbler was DJing the party, he asked, "What's going on?" "Chloe asked me to play something romantic for your first slow dance!", the Bubbler told him. "And I think I know the perfect girl for you to share it with."

Adrien's head shot back towards Chloe, who was batting her eyelashes at him, and his stomach did a somersault. Suddenly, he didn't like Nino's new form as the Bubbler. "Yup, I see her right now.", announced said akuma. He held up a finger. "She's right over...there!" Adrien said a silent thank you in his head when the Bubbler's black gloved finger pointed away from Chloe. Looking in that finger's direction, his heart skipped a beat.

It was Marinette.

She hovered near the snack table right now, eying the plates of chocolate chip cookies set up on the surface. Chloe looked at her, then at the Bubbler, wearing a scowl. "What?! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You know I meant—" Before she could utter another word, the Bubbler reached over the DJ table, placed his hand over her face, and pushed her away with a simple, "Back off, Blondie." He then turned back to Adrien with a smile. "Whaddaya waiting for?!"

Adrien swallowed the lump in her throat. He knew now was as good a time as ever. He should take advantage of his new freedom while it lasted. With every step he took feeling like his bones turned to jelly, Adrien strode towards Marinette. Mustering up every ounce of courage he had in him, he gently tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped, like someone had just attacked her, and spun around to see Adrien standing by.

He held his hands up in defense, wondering how such a small touch could cause such a large reaction. Than again, her touch did all sorts of things to him, as well. "Oh! Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" She calmed down, clutching her purse to her side as if she were holding on for dear life. "Sorry, I'm a little on edge." Adrien smirked. "Well, maybe you can ease up by party-citpating in this dance with me."

Marinette sighed sadly, and Adrien wondered if he had made the wrong move. "Somehow, I don't think a dance will solve my problems." Now he was worried. What had her so saddened? Growing sincere, he asked, "What's wrong?" Marinette stared at him. "There I was, in my house, eating a snack, when all of the sudden, a couple of giant bubbles come and suck up both my parents!"

Adrien felt his heart jolt. "B-B-Bubbles?" His green eyes shifted towards the Bubbler, still manning the DJ booth. He didn't need to try to guess who was responsible. "Not just them!", Marinette continued. "All of the adults in Paris are trapped in soapy round prison cells, floating fifty feet off the ground!"

Adrien's happy party mood was snuffed out quicker than candles on a birthday cake. So that was how the Bubbler had freed him and all their friends for his birthday party. An awful thought came into his head. Gabriel Agreste was probably among those trapped bubble prisoners. And here Adrien had been, having fun at a party that he had not even been allowed to have, all while his father was probably terrified for his own life. He hadn't been the most affectionate towards his son, but that didn't mean Adrien wanted him to suffer.

"Hey, you!" His head was immediately turned by the voice of the Bubbler, who was eying Ivan with a peeved look. The tall, bulky teen was leaning against the wall with a scowl on his face, not seeming to be enjoying the festivities at all. "Why aren't you having fun?", asked the Bubbler, the pumped up party man tone in his voice replaced by something more sinister, sounding more like the other akumatized villains.

"None of your business.", scoffed Ivan, looking away with a roll of the eyes. The Bubbler's face turned dark with an ugly sneer. "Than I'm gonna make it my business." What happened next went by so fast that Adrien and Marinette couldn't recall exactly what went down. All they remembered is that the Bubbler whipped out his bubble sword, and the next moment, Ivan was concealed in a great big green bubble, lifting him towards the clouds.

"I've-uh-gotta go get help!", Marinette stammered at the sight, making a mad dash past the manor gates. Adrien's heart sank. This was all his fault. If he had transformed earlier, he could have helped Ivan and the adults sooner. Instead, he let his thirst for freedom and fun cloud his better judgement. He silently cursed himself for allowing himself to overlook this dilemma, even if it had been for something he deeply desired.

No time for feeling sorry now, though. He and Ladybug had a job to do. Running back into the manor, he made sure he was out of sight before letting Plagg fly out. "I think I've been a complete idiot.", he told his kwami, slightly blaming the tiny cat for dishing out advice to let it be, and placing the rest of the blame on himself for listening in the first place. "Plagg, claws out!"  
\---------------------  
Adrien sighed as he came up to the school the very next day. He and Ladybug had defeated the Bubbler and turned him back into Nino, setting free all the trapped adults and teens that had not been having fun at the party. Despite knowing it was for the best, Adrien couldn't help but be a little sad that the party was over.

He adjusted his new scarf over his neck when he heard her sweet voice. He looked to see Marinette coming up to him. "I'm really sorry your birthday didn't turn out so...y'know." Her blue eyes rolled away from him, not wanting to mention what had happened the day before. He smiled at her. "Its okay. I'm actually flattered that Nino got upset enough on my behalf to be akumatized."

"Besides, it wasn't a total washout.", he said, bringing a hand to the scarf. "I still got this." She smiled back, glad that he enjoyed her present to him. "Happy birthday, Adrien." She turned towards the school with a wave. Adrien waited until her back was turned to swoon.

Not how he had hoped his birthday would go, but it was still the best one he had had yet.


	4. Lady WiFi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug longs to reveal herself to her darling kitty chat. Be careful what you wish for.

Late, late, late, late, I'm so late!  Marinette repeated this in her head as she booked it towards the school.  Things had gone downhill since yesterday.  An akuma attack had required her to dodge out and miss an entire half of the school day.  On the plus side, she did get a few more hours of seeing her darling minou.  When he shot her that charming half-grin, the akuma wasn't the only butterfly she had.

But then, when she returned home and got her school belongings, which Alya had dropped off for her, she had found a note taped to her notebook, saying,"Appelle moi, je sais pui est la vraie Ladybug—Call me, I know who the real Ladybug is!"  It had freaked her out a bit.  Than again, Alya did have a habit of jumping to conclusions before she had all the facts.  Marinette had tried to call her, but the signal for her neighborhood was down.  She would have to wait until tomorrow.

Well, tomorrow came, and even more problems rose up for Marinette.  She had overslept, her body exhausted from saving Paris, and her mind exhausted from doing homework, and had woken up a hour after school had started.  And that was why she was sprinting towards the desired building, hoping she could still sneak into class without anyone noticing.

Luckily, when she finally got there, Mme. Bustier's back was turned to the class as she was writing on the blackboard.  Tiptoeing into the classroom, she slid into her seat without a sound, letting out a breath of relief once she had accomplished her mission.  Her relief lasted only a few seconds, however, once she realized that Alya was absent from the seat next to her.

Leaning over towards Nino, sitting in the front with Adrien, she gently nudged his shoulder and said softly, "Where is she?"  "She's been suspended."  "WHAT?!"  Any obscurity Marinette had struggled to obtain went out the window, as the volume of her voice attracted the attention of everyone in the class.  Mme. Bustier frowned at her tardy pupil.  "Marinette, if you're going to come late, couldn't you at least do it discreetly?!"

Sinking back into her seat with a sheepish look, Marinette waited for Mme. Bustier to turn back to the board before she leaned over and tapped Nino again.  "What for?"  "The short story,", he explained, cupping his hand over his mouth so that the sound was directed at her.  "Accused of breaking into Chloe's locker."  Then he added with a chuckle, "I mean, Ladybug's locker."  "WHAT?!"

Mme. Bustier faced Marinette with a frown.  "That's it, Marinette!  Go to the principal's office!"  Shoulders slumped, Marinette took her backpack and stood up.  "What are you talking about?", Adrien whispered to Nino as his crush walked out of the classroom.  "Exactly what I said, bro!", Nino chuckled.  "Alya says Chloe is Ladybug!  She is crazy!"

That got Adrien to stiffen.  Chloe and Ladybug?  The same person?  He glanced over at his childhood friend, sitting on the bleachers next to his, winking at him flirtatiously.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  How could this shallow, superficial queen bee be the same heroic, kind-hearted lady that he fought with side-by-side?

He didn't get much time to mull over it, because minutes later, a holographic screen popped up at the front of the classroom, featuring a very familiar student swathed in black, with a glowing violet WiFi symbol on her chest, wearing a black domino mask.  "I am Lady Wifi, revealer of the truth!", she announced.  "For our first exposé, your principal would like to share a little tidbit with you!"

Lady Wifi stood beside the principal.  "So, Principal Damocles, is it true that you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today?"  "Uh, yes, it is.", said the principal, the shame in his voice matching the shame on his face.  "So you were biased?", Lady Wifi pressed on.  "Unfair?  Totally unjust?"  "Yes...I was."

Lady Wifi faced back towards the camera.  "For my next scoop, I'll be taking you to meet the girl whose been hiding behind the Ladybug mask!"  She shot a beam from her phone, freezing the principal in place.  "Stay connected."  The screen blinked out, and the whole class broke out into a panic.  "Everyone, for your own safety, go directly home, right now!", Mme. Bustier ordered.

She didn't have to repeat herself.  The whole class grabbed their belongings, stuffed them into their bookbags, and went dashing out of the classroom.  "And don't forget to read chapters four and five!", the teacher called out.  An akuma attack was no excuse to fall behind in school.  All the students went running for their lives towards the exit.

In all the commotion, no one noticed Adrien sneak off into the boys' bathroom.  Once he made sure he was all by himself, he allowed Plagg to come out.  "If Chloe is really Ladybug like Alya said,", Adrien thought aloud.  "Than Lady Wifi's gonna head straight for her house!"  "It also means you've been flirting with Chloe!", Plagg pointed out cheekily, topping off his analysis with a giggle.

Adrien choked a bit.  "I do not flirt with Ladybug!", he snapped back at his kwami.  Plagg gave him a condescending look.  "Okay, maybe I flirt a little.", said Adrien, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.  "But its all in good fun!  Ladybug knows I'm just playing around...right?"  Plagg shrugged his itty bitty shoulders.  "I dunno...does she?"

Adrien enjoyed being Chat Noir, because it meant he got to show another side of himself that he couldn't usually reveal, being watched constantly as Adrien, whether it was by the public eye or by his father's employees.  Therefore, he relished every opportunity to be flirtatious and funny when he took on his alter ego's shell, and most of his banter was used on Ladybug, who, to his delight, always seemed to enjoy his company and his constant puns.

It was also nice because he could be the kind of guy that he wanted to be around Marinette—the cool, confident, charming playboy who was clever with his words instead of stumbling over them.  Adrien bet that if he could only act half like Chat Noir when she was in his presence, she'd fall in love with him for sure.  His flirty comments directed at Ladybug were all in the name of lightening the mood, and Adrien was certain that his partner was aware of that.

But now, the realization that all of his puns, his punchlines, his compliments and his winks, had been wasted on Chloe Bourgeois, of all people, seriously disturbed him.  What if she thought his flirting was serious?  What if she thought he loved her?!  Dear Lord, the very thought made him ill.  But there was no time to throw up.  He had a job to do.  "Plagg, claws out!"  
\--------------  
Chat Noir could not believe what he was seeing. Thanks to the zoom in lens on his bo staff, from over fifty feet away, he could see Chloe covered in red spandex and black spots, practicing fighting moves in the privacy—or what she believed was privacy—of her bedroom suite. "What?!", he thought aloud. "This can't be!"

It couldn't be true! Chloe couldn't be Ladybug! It just wasn't possible. Ladybug was so warm, so caring, so selfless and kind. She wasn't some spoiled, self-centered diva like Chloe Bourgeois. For a moment, Chat wondered if the Twilight Zone was real, and if he had somehow entered it. That was the only explanation he could come up with as to how his stuck-up so-called "friend" and his humble trusted superhero pal could be the same person.

"Who's being a sneaky kitty now?" That voice lifted a thousand worries from his shoulders as he spun around to see her, dark pigtails, blue eyes and black spots on her costume, giving him a satisfied smirk that eased the tension in his soul. His vivid green eyes darted back and forth between the Ladybug on his screen and the Ladybug at his side. "But...how..."

The real Ladybug let out an amused giggle. "Oh, come on. You didn't really believe she was me, did you?" She pulled out her compact and held it up to see Chloe still playing superhero. The mayor's daughter thrust out her yoyo confidently, a little too confidently, it seemed, as it flung around her and wrapped her up in the string, trapping her and sending her crashing to the floor. Chat Noir released a sigh of relief as he closed the screen on his bo staff. "Yeah...of course not."

Hallelujah, the world made sense again.  
\----------------  
Ladybug was trapped. Lady Wifi had used her Lockscreen logos to pin her opponent to the walls of the the hotel kitchen by her wrists.  Setting up her screen, the akuma villain streamed her new broadcast all over Paris.  "Who is Ladybug?  Is she a super-hero or a super weirdo?  How can we trust the girl if we have no idea who she really is?"  She approached the captive girl and gripped the edges of her mask with her fingertips.  It was the moment of truth.  "We have the right to know!"

Lady Wifi pulled at the mask hard, but to her surprise, it would not budge.  The red fabric stuck to the heroine's face as if it had been super-glued on.  Lady Wifi yanked and tugged with all her might, but all her efforts were in vain.  Why doesn't it come off?!"  "Uh, because its magic?"

Just in time, Chat Noir entered the room, posing confidently before his imprisoned partner and the villain of the week.  "You're outta minutes, Lady Wifi!"  The mentioned villainess chuckled sinisterly.  "Aww, how romantic!  The tomcat's come to save his lovebug!"  At those words, Ladybug's face turned so red, it was impossible to tell where her skin met her mask.

"I-I-I'm not his lovebug!", she stammered.  "At least, I don't think I am!  I mean, he flirts with me a lot, but that could just be how he is!  It could mean nothing!  No matter how adorable he is!  IT!  How adorable IT is!  Not that he's not adorable, he totally is!  I mean, in a kitty cat kinda way!  Not that I think that he's not adorable in any other way.  But—"

Realizing this would just go on forever should she let it, Lady Wifi turned her attention away from Ladybug to focus on shooting pause screens at Chat Noir, who dodged every one with ease—until one dodge landed him in the freezer, the door slamming shut behind and locking him in.  Ladybug gasped.  "Chat Noir!"  She glared back at Lady Wifi.

"Better act soon, or else your crush will be slush!", the akumatized villainess taunted her enemy.  She swiped at her phone, and the lockscreens on Ladybug's wrists disappeared, freeing her.  "Have fun with your cat popsicle!  I have bigger news to report!"  Jumping into the air, she vanished in a light of neon pink.

Ladybug immediately ran to the freezer, where her beloved partner was trapped.  She kicked and banged on the heavy metal door, but to no avail.  It was sealed tight.  "Chat Noir!  Are you okay?!", she cried, fear apparent in her voice.  The thought her poor sweet kitty freezing to death terrified her.  "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there!"  So strong was her concern for her darling minou, she didn't hear him tell her to take her time.

"Lucky Charm!"  A flurry of magical ladybugs flew over her head and formed into some sort of box.  As it fell into her hands, Ladybug's mind raced on what to do with it.  Suddenly, she noticed the microwave label on the back light up red and black.  Not just any label—the no-microwave label.

Her eyes darted around the kitchen.  She saw the lock symbol on the freezer light up, followed up the microwave oven on the counter.  "Of course!", she exclaimed.  If something non-microwaveable was put in the microwave, the heat would cause a ruckus—and jam the signal of Lady Wifi's lock!

Wasting no time, Ladybug threw the box into the microwave and turned it on.  Plopping the miniature oven onto a trolley, she moved it to face the door, then held her breath and hoped against hope the trick would work.  Within seconds, the microwave short-circuited and exploded with electricity.  As it fell from the trolley, she saw that the lock screen was gone.  Not hesitating for a second, she dove in and almost hurt her arm with the force she used to throw open the door.

Sure enough, there he was, shoulders and legs huddled towards each other, shivering from the intense cold.  He took one step towards her and fell, faint from the drastic freezing temperature.  Ladybug caught him just in time and knelt on the floor, holding onto him as if she would never let go.  She didn't want to.

She made shushing sounds in his ear and rubbed her hands all over his upper body, trying to warm him.  It made her heart ache to see her dear kitty cat in such a state.  He was so weak, so vulnerable.  She had never witnessed him in this way.  And yet, it was those rare times seeing this softer side of him that made her fall in love all over again.

At last, he spoke.  "You used your Lucky Charm.", he said softly.  "There's not much time."  The music of his voice was accompanied by a brief symphony of beeping from her earrings.  Ladybug's heart sank.  Of course.  This had been Lady Wifi's intentions by freeing her too soon.  Hawkmoth must have told her that by using her Lucky Charm, her time in the costume would be cut short.

She didn't want to let him go.  She loved this feeling of him in her arms, and she knew that she would not get many more opportunities to do this in the future.  But as Chat Noir regained his strength, and the clock kept on ticking on her transformation, she knew she had to direct her focus back to their first priority—saving Paris.  
\----------------  
"Miraculous Ladybug!" The red-and-black box went flying high over the heads of the two heroes and the defeated Lady Wifi, the magic ladybugs flying throughout the Parisian streets and erasing the effects of Lady Wifi. "Pound it!", said the heroes as they exchanged their usual fist bump. Ladybug was just glad that it was finally over. That had been one of their more threatening akumas, and not just because this one tried to reveal her identity to the world.

They ran down the stairs of the hotel, leaving Alya on the roof. As they reached the last step, her earrings beeped loudly, signaling that she was mere seconds away from detransforming. Glancing around the hotel lobby, she spotted a broom closet, and instantly knew it was the perfect place to let her Ladybug persona melt away, hidden from the public eye. But as she took a step towards the closet, a hand grabbed her by the forearm and held her back.

She turned to see vivid green cat eyes boring into hers, pleading with her silently. "Stay!", he cried, his voice sweet and true. "I promise, I won't tell anyone who you really are! Cat's honor!" He held up two black clawed fingers and shot her a genuine smile, and she just knew that every word he had spoken had come from his heart.

Oh, how she longed to comply to his wish. To finally show him who she truly was, to finally do away with all these secrets between them. There would be nothing keeping them apart. She would no longer have to wait for an akuma attack to see his face. She could simply visit him. She could hold him, like she had earlier in the kitchen, only than she could do it anytime she wished. They could finally be together, no masks required.

But in her deepest of hearts, past all the desires and longings, she knew that it couldn't be so. They had a duty to the people of Paris, to protect and serve the citizens, to keep them safe from Hawkmoth and his army of akumas. Revealing their identities, even to one another, would only put their mission at risk. Anyone could see anything. They couldn't let it leak out. They had to do all they could to keep their identities a secret, even from each other.

And that was why, with a heavy heart, Ladybug replied to Chat Noir, "No one must know who we really are. Not even us." And she entered the broom closet and closed the door before he could see the tears fall from her masked eyes. He stealthily approached the closet, placing a clawed hand on the handle. A beep rang out, though he couldn't tell if it was from his ring or her earrings.

Opening the door a crack, he saw a flash of reddish-pink light seep from the gap. His heart screamed at him to open the door wider, to finally peel back the last layer of secrecy between him and who he trusted above all else in the life. But at the thought of trust, he stopped. Ladybug trusted him not to glance at her and learn her identity for himself. He had to honor that trust, no matter how much he wanted to know who his best friend really was under the mask.

Closing the door, he spun on his heel and sprinted out of the hotel lobby, never looking back once, so he would not see who came out of the closet.  
\------------------  
Marinette stood on her balcony, staring out at the skyline of Paris, her memories of last night abd Chat Noir's plea to tell her the truth weighing heavy on her mind. Tikki rested on her shoulder, staring up at her chosen with glossy eyes. "I know how hard it must've been for you to say no to him.", she said, sincerely sorry that her Ladybug could not reveal herself to the one she loved. "But I'm proud of you, Marinette."

Marinette smiled sadly at her kwami. "I know, Tikki. But you know what? The thing that really gets me through is knowing that when this is all over and Hawkmoth is defeated, Chat and I can finally stop hiding. It gives me all the more determination to take down the bad guy once and for all." "Got it!"

She jumped up, Tikki hiding in her jacket, and spun around to see Alya climbing up to join her on the terrace. Marinette hoped with all her being that the "it" Alya had mentioned was NOT what the conversation between Mari and her kwami. "Wanna see my new smartphone? It puts my old one to shame!" Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She had been talking about the new device. Marinette's secret was still safe.

"Just look at these pics!" Marinette flamed at Alya's phone and was surprised to find a gallery of Adrien's face swiping back and forth on the screen. "What's with all those photos of Adrien on your phone?", she asked suspiciously. "Do you have a crush on him or something?" "Ew! Mr. Blond Perfect?! No way!", said Alya. "He is SO not my type! But look at this!"

She swiped to a photo of Adrien looking at the camera with his hands on his hips. "With a mask and a costume..." She then swiped to an edit of the same photo, with him covered in black from the neck down, cat ears in his hair, a black mask around his eyes, and a bell at his throat. "Don't you think he looks a little bit like Chat Noir?"

Marinette gasped and jumped back, baffled at such a suggestion. "Are you out of your mind?!", she cried. Chat Noir and Adrien might look kinda the same, but they are nothing alike! Chat Noir is so brave and slick and clever!" "Can't argue with that.", Alya commented. "But wait, what are you saying about Adrien?"

"Well, its kinda weird...", Marinette went on. "Oh, who am I kidding, its really weird." "What is?", asked Alya, her curiosity growing. "Well, I don't know why, but every time I try to talk to Adrien, he acts all weird.", explained Marinette. "He can't seem to form a full sentence around me, and he always makes this faces like he's constipated or something."

"That is kinda strange.", Alya commented. "Anyway, stop taking photos of Adrien.", said Marinette with a stern look. "And stop thinking up silly stuff about him being Chat Noir. I like Adrien, he's a good friend, but he's way to nervous and shy to be Chat."

If only she knew.


	5. Timebreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a friendly race between their classmates goes horribly wrong, Ladybug must beat the clock to save Chat Noir before he’s wiped from the time stream completely!

Marinette stuck the landing behind a piece of structure and detransformed without a single soul seeing her.  She knew this was a tight squeeze into her schedule.  She was supposed to be back at the bakery, waiting for Nadja Chamack to come to pick up her preordered cake.  But a call from Alya at the last minute had reminded her that the big race between Alix and Kim, the one she had made a banner for, was today.

She had promised to bring it, and everyone was counting on her, so she timed the clock on her phone for twenty minutes, when Nadja was expected to arrive at the bakery, and set off to the location as Ladybug to cut her arrival time shorter.  She hurried down the steps, where everyone was waiting for the race to begin.  She was the last to arrive, second to Alix herself.

Her friends greeted Marinette cheerfully, oohing and aahing at the handmade banner she had worked so hard on.  As she returned their smiling faces, she noticed one of them was Adrien's.  He took a small step forward and cleared his throat.  "Impressive, Marinette!"  He winked at her.  She giggled.  "Thanks, Adrien."

In his head, he was doing a victory dance.  For once, he had nailed a pass at her, and he hadn't stuttered or anything!  For the first time, he was actually smooth around her.  As she turned her attention towards Kim boasting about his superior athleticism, he spun around with a huge grin on his face towards Nino, who gave him two thumbs up for a job well done.

Moments later, Alix came rolling on her blades, looking confident.  She and Kim exchanged playful banter for a minute before Max broke them up so they could proceed with the challenge.  "Let's review the official rules, shall we?  Two laps around the fountain, approximately five hundred yards.  The first one over the line is declared the victor.  If Kim triumphs, Alix will relinquish her rollerblades to him.  If Alix triumphs, Kim will be prohibited from making another dare for the rest of the school year."

"We're through with all those stupid dares!"  "Uh-huh!  That's right!"  "No more dares!"  Alix and Kim got into position, both sets of eyes fierce with determination.  The class was on the edge of their seats.  Kim was a remarkable athlete, especially in track and field, where his strongest suit was, but Alix was like a blizzard on her rollerblades, swift and piercing through the air.  Max held up both his arms.  "On your marks...get set..."  "Hold up!", Alix cried.

She rolled to Alya, holding out a silver pocket watch that gleamed when the sunlight hit it's spotless surface.  "Hold this for me, will you?  I don't wanna drop it during the race."  She placed it on the palm of Alya's hand.  "Hold on, girl!  I gotta—"  "Guard it with your life!", said Alix, with a hint of sternness in her voice.  "Its a family heirloom!"  "But—!"  She didn't hear Alya as she rolled back to the starting line.

Stealing a quick glance at the watch in her hand, she passed it off to Marinette, who was holding up the right end of the banner in her other hand, Nino holding up the left end.  "Marinette, take this!  I gotta record the race for my blog!"  Alix and Kim got back into their starting positions at the white line.  "On your marks...get set...GO!"  And with that, the competitors took off, Kim's feet pounding against the pavement, Alix's rollerblades wheels grinding fast and hard enough to emit sparks.

As the race went on, Marinette struggled to keep Alix's watch safe in her hand, especially with Nino shaking her at the other end of the banner.  "But...she asked you to hold it!  I gotta hold up the banner!"  All of the sudden, a hard jerk at Nino's end sent Marinette stumbling, and the watch jumped out of her hand, falling towards the hard ground...

...until a suntanned hand swooped in and caught it just in time.  Marinette followed the arm to see that it was attached to Adrien, who was smiling sweetly at her.  "Need a hand?"  She sighed in relief.  "Adrien, you're a lifesaver!  Thanks!"  Adrien grinned.  First, he'd made a successful compliment at Marinette, then he'd saved the day, like her knight in shining armor.  He was on a roll today!

"Its no biggie.", he said.  "You looked as if you needed some help.  You gotta be careful.  Even if you are amazing."  She gave him a strange look that made him realize what he had just said.  "At—holding things!  In your hands!"  She blinked at him curiously.  "Um...thanks?"  She turned back to the race, not seeing Nino shoot his bro a pointed look.  Amazing at holding things?, Adrien thought.  Stupid!  And just like that, his progress for the day went down the drain.

He didn't have too much time to kick himself, as Chloe inched towards him, resting her chin on his shoulder as she peered down at what he held in his hand.  "Adrikins...whatcha got there?"  Without any warning, she plucked the watch from his palm and held it up to examine it, not seeing the panic levels rise in Adrien's face.  "Some old phone case?"  "Careful!  Its Alix's!", he exclaimed, praying to God that she didn't drop or damage it.

Chloe rolled her eyes.  "If it's Alix's, its probably worthless."  Adrien scowled at her.  He had known Chloe his entire life, and he had always known that she could be rough around the edges.  But since he had started going to school and seeing how she acted towards other people everyday, he was quickly learning just how rough she really was.  And it was WAY rougher than he ever could have imagined.  It made him wonder, if he had not been locked up most of his life, if he had seen this side of her sooner, would they even be friends in the first place?

"Give it back to Adrien, Chloe.", Marinette said, glaring at the mayor's daughter.  Chloe simply scoffed at her and continued to look the watch over as if it were a science experiment.  She pressed a symbol on the watch, and it lit up bright turquoise blue, startling her and causing her to fumble with it.  Adrien and Marinette watched in horror as it bounced off her fingertips before landing on the ground on it's side and rolling onto the track where Alix and Kim were racing.

Suddenly, all eyes were off Alix and Kim and focused on the watch.  Before anyone could move a finger to stop it, Alix came speeding down the track on her rollerblades and whizzed over the watch, her precious family heirloom crushing to pieces under the wheels.  She didn't even hear the gasps from her friends as she passed the finish line, too preoccupied in riding high in her victory for a few moments.

When she turned around, however, her triumphant mood turned to one of shock and horror when she saw the pocket watch, the treasured birthday present from her father, the priceless trinket that had been passed down through generations of her family, shattered on the sidewalk.  She didn't hear Kim's bitter complaints and demands for a rematch as she rolled over to the watch, her whole body feeling numb as she fell to her knees and gathered the fragments in her hands.  Her gaze turned angry as she looked at Alya.  "Did you do this?"

The aspiring journalist gulped.  "I...I had to videotape the race, so I gave it Marinette, but than she had to hold up the banner, so she gave it to Adrien, and then Chloe snatched it from him and dropped it and...you skated over it."  She ended her explanation with a guilty smile.  Alix was fuming by the time she finished.  "My old man gave me this for my birthday!  Its totally a family heirloom!"

She tried skating away when Marinette stepped forward to defend herself and her friends...and Chloe.  "Alix!  Don't be like that!  It was an accident!"  "No one meant any harm!", Adrien added.  "As if!", Chloe scoffed, completely lacking in sympathy or feelings of guilt.  "I totally had nothing to do with it!"  Alix turned back to her "friends" with a stormy glare.  "You're all to blame!", she growled, and with that, she bolted away on her rollerblades.

Marinette rolled up her banner, tucked it under her arm, and ran after her pink-haired friend.  "Alix!  Wait!"  Adrien watched her go sadly.  
\------------------  
Ladybug and Chat Noir stood side-by-side.  True to his evil nature, Hawkmoth had picked up on Alix's negative emotions over losing her watch and akumatized her into Timebreaker, a villainess who absorbed energy from touching others and left them frozen in time.  Once she had zapped enough, she would use their energy to go back in time and save her watch from being destroyed.  But those she froze were slowly fading away.  If Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't act fast, Timebreaker's victims might fade from existence.

The akumatized villian had already zapped energy from Kim, Rose, Mylene, Chloe, Sabrina, and Alya, and was heading towards a terrified Ivan.  Ladybug threw out her yoyo, wrapping Timebreaker's ankles and pulling her back in the nick of time, allowing Ivan to run and escape.  "Keep your hands to yourself!"  Timebreaker only grinned at her and yanked at the strings, jerking Ladybug away from her partner and landing at her foe's feet.

Timebreaker had a huge, wicked grin spread across her face, knowing she had Ladybug right where she wanted her.  Not wasting a moment, she reached a hand towards Ladybug's face to grab her earrings, and with the touch, her energy.  Ladybug shut her eyes tight, waiting for her inevitable doom.

But in the blink of an eye, Chat Noir appeared from nowhere and threw himself in front of Ladybug in a tight hug.  She screamed in horror and distraught as Timebreaker's dangerous hand touched him instead, freezing him in time.  "Chat Noir!  NO!"  She burst into tears right then and there, holding him tight as she watched his body begin to fade.  His eyes were closed, and his face was at peace, and it broke her heart.

"Wow!  Six minutes in one go!", Timebreaker boasted, checking her meter.  "Must've been those nine lives."  Ladybug opened her eyes, her vision blurred from the tears, glaring and growling at Timebreaker as she cradled the back of Chat Noir's head lovingly in her hand.  That was it.  Many akumas had caused some harm to her beloved minou, and up until then, she had been able to take it because she knew he was tough.  But this one had crossed a line.

She saw Timebreaker reach for Chat Noir's ring, but the spotted heroine stood up tall and faced her foe, feet spread apart and planted firmly on the ground, her fists held up, ready to start a fight.  Her eyes were narrowed into slits, and she spoke through her clenched teeth, "Go ahead and try."

Timebreaker was daring, but she wasn't stupid.  She could clearly see that Ladybug would not let her near Chat Noir after what she'd done to him.  There was no way she would get his miraculous in this moment.  Her nimble mind swiftly formed a new plan.  She would go back in time to save her watch first, and then she would snatch the Miraculouses from Ladybug and Chat Noir in that moment, when their guard was lower.

She spun on her rollerbladed heel and set off towards who-knew where.  Oh no, you don't!, thought Ladybug, getting out her yoyo.  You're not getting away that easy!  She threw out her weapon, wrapping it around Timebreaker's waist, and tried to pull her back towards where they had once stood, but the force of the akuma's speed was too strong, and Ladybug instead got pulled along as Timebreaker summoned the energy she had absorbed to go back in time.

As yellow currents of electricity surrounded them, Ladybug decided, past or present, she had to do whatever it took to save her darling kitty cat.  
\------------------  
As the two Timebreakers went flying through the air, the two Ladybugs thrust out their yoyos in perfect sync, yanking a rollerblade off a Timebreaker each.  Grabbing them, they each broke the blade over their knee and tossed them to the ground as an purple butterfly fluttered out of each shoe.  "Time to de-evilize!", the shouted at the same time, reading their weapons and capturing an akuma each inside.  Moments later, the akumas emerged, purified and gleaming white.  "Bye bye, little butterfly."

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" The cord and traffic cone in matching red and black colors went high into the air, the flurry of magic ladybugs came to put everything back to normal. By some miracle, they also flew around Alix's broken watch, restoring it to it's former, un-shattered glory. The girl would definitely be pleased.

The two Ladybugs smiled and shared their fist bump before they looked at Chat Noir, waiting fir his turn. But with which bug? He was not sure about that. Realizing that she might not get another chance like this, the Ladybug from the future gave Chat Noir a quick but sweet peck on the cheek before the ladybug flurry swept her away, leaving nothing behind, without her having to deal with the consequences.

Chat Noir rubbed the spot where her lips had touched him, while the present Ladybug burned slightly with envy. After giving Alix back her watch and sharing a lesson about responsibility with her, she looked back at her partner, and all thoughts of jealousy evaporated when he smirked at her. "I was just getting used to having two Ladybugs around." "Well, now you'll have to deal with none.", she said. "I have to split before I transform."

She was just about to swing away without another word when a thought crossed her mind. Deciding to take a cue from her future self, she dove in and pecked Chat Noir on the other cheek before she went flying over the rooftops, leaving him rubbing the spot just like he had before. "Wow! She's really bold.", he thought aloud. "I wonder if she's like that with all the boys she knows."


	6. Mr Pigeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a bird-loving looney man on the loose, Adrien is no longer the weirdest person alive when he’s around Marinette.

Adrien perfectly memorized Marinette's face when Mr. Damocles announced the design contest that Gabriel Agreste was holding. The way her crystal blue eyes had lit up, the dimples that spread on the corners of her mouth, the gasp of awe that escaped from her voice, like a perfect music note. The only person who was probably more excited at the idea of Marinette winning than Marinette herself was Adrien.

"Can you imagine it, Nino?", the blonde ranted to his best friend in the courtyard during their next free period. "I might get to model something Marinette made! I'll get to wear something she touched with her own two hands!" He sighed dreamily at the prospect. "And maybe when she sees how good I look in it, she'll ask me to model more stuff of hers!" Nino smirked. "Good idea, dude! Look towards the future!"

They looked around at their fellow schoolmates until their eyes fell upon Alya and Marinette a few feet away. Marinette was pacing back and forth as she flipped through her sketchbook, frowning and muttering in frustration. Adrien immediately grew concerned. She had been so excited a few minutes ago. What had changed? Carefully creeping towards the love of his life and her best friend, he listened in.

"I got nothing!", Marinette exclaimed. "No derby hat designs! I've got top hats, caps, two-horned hats...need a beret? I'm your girl! A sombrero? No problemo! But derby?" She groaned. "It probably won't matter, anyway. I'll probably just a make a fool out of myself, trip over a derby, collapse on Mr. Agreste, give him a concussion and get myself blacklisted in the fashion industry!" She fell to her knees and placed her head on Alya's lap. "My life is over."

"Marinette seems pretty stressed out over the contest, Plagg.", Adrien said to the kwami hiding in his overshirt pocket. "Maybe she could use a confidence boost." "And you're gonna give it to her?", remarked Plagg in a cynical tone. "How can you give a confidence boost to the one person in the whole universe you have zero confidence around?" Adrien flushed bright red.

Still, he knew he had to try. Marinette was the most talented girl he knew (as well as the most beautiful, most compassionate, most wonderful, etc., etc., etc.). He knew that she could win this contest with her eyes closed. Besides, this contest wasn't just her chance to break out into the fashion world. It was his chance to get closer to his crush. And he'd been darned if he just let it slip away.

So, mustering every bit of gall he had in him, he strode towards where Marinette sat with Alya. Alya took notice of him right away, but Marinette, on the other hand, was too lost in her own little world of self-pity. She didn't see him until he spoke up. "Those are awesome designs, Marinette.", he said. She jumped to her feet at the sound of his voice, seeing him lean over to catch a glimpse of her sketchbook pages. "You...You have mad skills."

Marinette gave him a small smile that made his stomach do jumping jacks. "You really like them?" "Y-Yeah!", he said, doing his best to not stammer in her glorious presence. "I especially love the designs...that go upwards!" Her smile vanished, replaced by a confused expression that matched Alya's. "What?" Adrien gulped. C'mon, Agreste! Say something to fix that! "...and then stop!" He mentally facepalmed.

Marinette stared at him like he had a foot growing out of his face. "Uh...thanks?" Adrien staggered backwards. "Anyway, great designs, youhaveagoodshotatwinningseeyoulaterbye!" And with that, he took off to avoid the awkwardness that he had caused. Alya looked at her BFF as she sat beside her on the bench. "You were right about him acting weird around you. For a guy who looks cool for a living, he has no skill in real life."  
\---------------  
Okay, good news and bad news. The good news was that Marinette had been inspired by a kindly older man feeding the pigeons in the park. Tikki's comment about him wearing a feather jacket set her mind wheels in motion to create a derby hat covered in feathers of black and dark gray. She had spent a whole hour bringing the product of her imagination to life, and she was proud of the finished result.

The bad news was that that same kindly man had been akumatized into a supervillain by the name of Mr Pigeon after being banned from the park for illegally feeding the birds he so doted on. Marinette had arrived back at the park to pick up a pigeon feather to put as the final touch. But on her way back, she found that thousands of pigeons were invading the streets, the ledges of buildings, and every other crook and nanny of Paris.

Transforming quickly, she hopped onto a nearby rooftop to get a better look at the situation. Then, just when she thought things could not get any weirder, she looked up towards the sky, and saw hundreds of pigeons, in flocks the size and shape of airplanes, roaming the skies. Mr Pigeon had not yet proved to be the toughest akuma they'd faced, but he'd already proved to be the strangest.

"Birds of a feather flock together." That suave, angelic voice drawling with charisma caught her ear, and she turned to see Chat Noir lying on his side at the tip of the rooftop, smirking that signature smirk that gave her butterflies, the good kind, not the Hawkmoth kind. However, before she could fully appreciate how sexy he looked, perched on his side like that, his perfect pose was shattered by a mighty sneeze that sent him rolling on that same side at her feet.

He rose up, rubbing underneath his nose. "Sorry. I'm allergic to feathers.", he explained in a stuffy voice. He glanced up at his partner to see she had a hand over her mouth, trying and failing to hide the smile that graced her lips, the same rosy color as her cheeks. "You seem to be enjoying this.", he regarded her with fake irritation.

She couldn't help it. With his sniffling and reddened nose, he looked like a real cat. In fact, he was the cutest little black kitten she'd ever seen. "Sorry.", she giggled. "Its just that your sneezes are adorable." "Of course they are.", he said teasingly. "I'm adorable. What did you expect?" Oh, what she wouldn't give to exchange playful banter all day long. But there was no time for flirting. They had a job to do, and a city to save...from pigeons.

No matter how many times she said that in her mind, it never felt less odd.  
\------------------  
Just because another akuma had been defeated did not mean that the drama was over.  Afterwards, Marinette had raced home, gotten her derby hat, and booked it back to school to present her entry.  But when she got there, she was horrified to find that Chloe had presented a hat exactly like it.  That bratty little princess had copied Marinette's design and tried to pass it off as her own!  Even worse, she was trying to make Marinette look like a thief.

Luckily, Marinette had an ace up her sleeve.  Chloe had no way of knowing that Marinette hid her name within the stitching.  Being declared the winner of the contest had to have been the proudest moment of her life.  Seeing Chloe storm off in tears was just an added bonus.

Adrien was grinning at her warmly after his father announced that he would wear Marinette's design at their next advertising campaign.  He had been scared for a moment, but Marinette had pulled through.  His hope to wear something of hers would come true!  "Great work.", he said, not-so-discreetly cupping his hands over hers as he took the hat.

"Go ahead, try it on!", she gushed, still riding high from her victory.  "I want to see how it looks!"  He beamed.  How could he deny his princess?  Especially when she looked at him with those beautiful baby blues.  "Sure."  He raused it to his head and began to slip it on when he suddenly stopped and paused, his eyes growing wide.  Marinette's jpy turned to worry.  "Adrien?"

In response, she got a big honking sneeze from the model boy, so loud and forceful that she and Alya jumped back, looking at him like he was a meteorite that just dropped from the sky out of nowhere.  Adrien glanced up, then at the hat, wearing a look of panic on his face.  "Oh boy...Mari?  Are these...real feathers?"  "Yes.", she said, and got another honking sneeze from him.  "I should tell you...I'm allergic to feathers."

He then fell into a fit of violent sneezes, hard enough to challenge a foghorn.  Marinette stood back from the range, Alya cowering behind her.  The aspiring journalist didn't notice her best friend thinking hard before coming up with a solution to their allergy problem.  "Mousier Agreste!"  Nathalie turned the tablet with Gabriel's face on it towards their winner.  "Yes?"  "When is the photoshoot?"  "In two weeks...why do you ask?"

Marinette smiled sheepishly.  "Well, you see, I put real feathers in my hat, and I didn't know Adrien was allergic."  She then carefully took her winning design back from said model, cautious not to get caught in the blast of his sneezes.  "So, I was thinking, I'll just take this, and I'll make him a new one with synthetic feathers in it."  "That seems more efficient.", said Gabriel.  "I like your thinking.  Proceed."

Adrien smiled at her gratefully.  "You...You'd do that for me?"  "Of course, silly!", she said cheerily.  "I don't want you sneezing up a storm during the photoshoot!"  He grinned dopily before sneezing again, still getting backlash from wearing the feathers.  Marinette giggled.  "You know, you're pretty cute when you sneeze."  Adrien perked up at that.  "I could sneeze all the time if you want!"

Marinette looked baffled at that proposal.  "Uh...no thanks, I'm good."  Adrien blushed when he realized how silly his statement had sounded to the human ears.  "Well...if you change your mind..."  He shot her a wink and finger guns before he walked away, slapping himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand and muttering under his breath.  "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Alya walked up to her best friend with a raised eyebrow, watching him go.  "Girl, you really were not joking about him acting strange around you.  He's lucky the whole Mr Pigeon thing happened when it did, else Adrien Agreste would have been the weirdest dude in Paris today!"


	7. The Evillustrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has a rival for his princess's affection—and a chance to be her Prince Charming for a night.

"Oh, Super-Nathan! You're my hero!", cried Marinette, throwing her arms around her handsome rescuer. "It was nothing.", he said, suavely and confidently. "I love you." "I love you, too." The incredible artist hero and his beautiful damsel-no-more-in-distress embraced passionately, him stroking her beautiful silky dark locks...

"Nathaniel!" The real Nate Kutzberg was harshly jerked back into reality by the sound of his science teacher's voice. Mlle. Mendeliviez slammed her hand next to his drawing book, making him jump and drop his pencil in shock. "This is why you're failing science!", she snapped somewhat cruelly, flapping a page of his work around like a piece of trash. "Go to the principal's office and show him that chicken scratch!"

Nathaniel sheepishly gathered his things, wanting to be invisible from all the eyes of his classmates, who were staring him. On his way towards the door, he tripped over someone else's backpack, dropping his notebook, and it fell open on the floor, right on the page he had just finished of his imaginary self and Marinette holding one another.

He gasped, then looked up at Marinette, who was staring at the page, looking flustered and such. She was rendered speechless. So put on the spot was she and everyone else, that no one noticed the way Adrien's adorable face darkened into a glaring scowl when he realized that someone had made his Marinette into their muse. An ugly side of the handsome boy showed as he thought about only he was allowed to fantasize about himself with the baker girl.

To make matters worse, Chloe swooped her hand in and snatched the notebook off the floor before Nate could retrieve it, showing the pages to her red-haired lackey. "Look, Sabrina! Its him as a superhero! Oh, and look who he's saving! Marinette!" She stole a glance at the blunette. "He's totally crushing on her!"

At that moment, Nathaniel wanted nothing more than to melt through the floor and disappear. "Give me that!", he growled, snatching his book back from the snooty blonde. Before he could wallow in self-pity more, the teacher shouted at him to leave the classroom, and he did, tail behind his legs.

Marinette watched him go with sympathy in his eyes. Nate hadn't deserved to be humiliated by Chloe like that, especially not over his work. He was shy and reserved, but he was a very talented artist, especially in the style of comic books. His art was to be praised, not mocked. Marinette also felt a tinge of guilt that she could not return his feelings. He was a sweet boy, but her heart was taken by another superhero. And it wasn't the one Nathaniel had drawn himself into.

Once he was out of the room, Nino heard a small growl from next to him. He leaned forward to get a better look at his best buddy, and immediately saw the nasty sneer on Adrien's face as he focused narrowed green eyes on the doorway where Nathaniel had left. "Dude, jealous much?", he whispered, just loud enough for Adrien to hear but no one else could. The blonde immediately regained his composure before anyone noticed his suspiciously envious mood.

Little did he or anyone else know, his new rival's anger and humiliation had caught the eye of a certain evil villain-maker.  
\---------------  
Chat scowled as he got started on Chloe's physics homework.  He was deeply regretting his decision to stay behind to protect Chloe from the Evillustrator, formerly known as Nathaniel Kutzburg.  All she had done for the past hour was whine about how Sabrina wasn't answering her calls and how hard her part of the assignment was (although Chat was pretty sure she wasn't even trying).

Besides, it was Chloe's own fault that she needed protection.  If she hadn't ridiculed and humiliated Nate in the first place, she wouldn't be in danger.  And she didn't seem to realize that, or even care, for that matter.  The day she apologized for anything was the day pigs grew wings and flew through the air.  Maybe Ladybug had had the right idea swooping out.

Just as he was settled in, his bo staff beeped with a call from Ladybug.  He excused himself and walked out onto Chloe's balcony, bringing his staff to his ear like a phone.  "You can't just bug out and then decide to make catcalls, Ladybug.", he said, patting himself on the back for coming up with that two-for-one special.  "I'm sorry, that wasn't cool.", she said, her voice sincere.  Then her tone became serious.  "But you can leave Chloe.  I need you to protect this girl now.  Look at your screen."

Chat Noir pulled his staff away from his ear to glance at the mini-computer screen on the side, and his heart immediately stopped.  There, staring back at him with those beautiful bluebell eyes and the most adorable grin, was a photo of Marinette, the love of his life, the girl of his dreams, the one he wanted to protect above all else.

"Her name's Marinette Dupain-Cheng.", said Ladybug over the intercom.  "Really cute, ain't she?"  "That's the understatement of the year.", muttered Chat, before he had a chance to think about it.  "What?", came Ladybug's voice, reeling him back to reality.  "What?", he repeated, hoping that it would confuse and distract his partner from his slip of tongue.  Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick.

"The Evillustrator is in love with her.", she went on to explain.  "And he promised not to harm Chloe as long as Marinette comes to his birthday party.  While he's distracted, I want you to take him down."  As Ladybug talked, Chloe tugged and fussed at Chat Noir, trying to get his attention and bring him back inside to do her homework, but he shoved her away and raised his staff back to his ear.  "What about you?"

"I'm...going on a very important secret mission.", said Ladybug, sounding a bit nervous.  "Can you handle this alone?"  Alone?  With Marinette?  Watching over her, protecting her from an evil villain like a handsome prince protecting his princess?  He had had dreams and fantasies like this.  Of course, in those dreams and fantasies, he had been dressed in a suit and cape and her in a flowing gown, and there may or may not have been a white stallion involved somewhere.  But horse or no horse, he was not about to pass up this opportunity.

"It'll be a cinch!", he replied, keeping a cool tone to hide his explosive excitement bubbling inside.  Now to ditch the witch and head for the princess's tower.  
\-------------------  
Marinette watched Sabrina go sadly.  She hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, or seem like Chloe at all.  But tonight was her only chance to take down Evillustrator.

Funny how your day can go from sour to sweet in just a matter of moments.  And that's exactly what happened to Marinette when a certain green-eyed cat god swooped down from out of nowhere and landed nimbly at her feet.  "Whoa!  I thought I was gonna have to save you from that girl's claws.  Get it?  Claws?"  He laughed, his voice like a perfect melody to her ears.

She was frozen in place, the only movement coming from her widening blue eyes as she took him in, in all his muscled, leather-clad glory.  Here he was, the object of her affections, the man of her fantasies, standing right at her doorway, in front if her, not as Ladybug, the famous superhero, but as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a normal girl with a normal life.  Any confidence that she had in her spotted alter ego vanished without a trace, as she stood rooted to her spot in the doorway, a thousand thoughts running through her brain but not a single word leaving her lips.

"Hey, I haven't even introduced myself!"  He got down on one knee and took her hand in his gloved one.  "I'm Chat Noir."  Marinette's entire body went rigid as his lips gently brushed the back of her hand.  He's kissing me!  He's kissing me!  He's kissing me!  Well, he's kissing my hand, but its a part of me, so it still counts!  Oh, c'mon, Marinette!  You've been quiet for too long, you're probably freaking him out!  Say something!

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, I know all about you!  You're...You're one of the most famous people in Paris!  You save the day like, all the time!  I'm M-M-Marinette!  So, what can I do ya for?  I mean, what can I do for you?  'Cause, you know, you're here, and I'm here, and—and oh gosh, I'm rambling!  I'm sorry, I am such a ditz."  She placed her hands over her face so that he wouldn't see her burning, blushing cheeks.

She spread two of her fingers apart to peek at Chat Noir, blushing even harder when he saw that signature smirk that never failed to make her weak in the knees.  "No problem.  You're actually pretty cute when you're rambling."  Marinette very nearly fainted right then and there.  "Not as cute as you.  I mean!  Y-You're pretty cute!  Like a kitten!  But-But-But not super cute!  Not that you're not—oh darn, I'm rambling again."

Chat grinned from ear to ear as he watched her hide her face behind her hands again.  Here he was, standing at Marinette's door, his mere presence reducing her to the same nervous, stuttering mess that he usually was whenever he was around her as Adrien.  She was extra adorable when she was on the other end of the stick.  Seeing her blush and trip over her words like that because of him made him feel as if he were floating a foot off the ground.

Of course, it helped that he had the mask on.  Posing as Chat Noir always gave him an extreme boost of confidence.  Unexposed, he felt fearless enough to take risks around his crush, like his clever puns and kissing her hand.  And it seemed to be paying off well for him.  Perhaps he should pay her more visits as Chat after this.  Then again, Ladybug may not approve of him using his superhero self as a way to flirt with his crush.  It was best he leave it at this and savor every moment while it lasted.

Finally composing herself, she gathered her thoughts and said, "So, back to basics...why are you here?" Chat smirked. "A little buggie told me you were in need of a hero.", he said, flexing his muscles and striking suave poses. "Your birthday boyfriend is bad news, but no need to fear. Your knight in shining leather is here!"

Marinette chewed on her lower lip hard enough to break the skin, biting down a bit harder with every stunning pose he pulled, but she pulled herself together to keep her cover and ask, "What about Ladybug?" "She's busy tonight.", Chat explained. "So you get to be my Ladybug." His confident half-smile hid the fireworks of happiness concealed underneath.

Marinette turned away from him momentarily and giggled like a Japanese schoolgirl. She wasn't about to lie to herself and say she hadn't been thrilled beyond mere words when she realized that she would need Chat Noir's help for Marinette and not Ladybug. She shouldn't have been this happy about such a dangerous situation, but she couldn't help but be happy that Nathaniel had been akumatized, because it gave her the chance to spend time with her crush outside the mask.

She quickly turned back, trying to calm herself and not explode with joy as she spoke. "Is that so? Sounds exciting. What do I have to do?" "Just need you to get that drawing pencil away from Evillustrator.", he said, his voice still cool but with some serious undertones. As happy as he was to have this opportunity with Marinette, her safety was top priority in this mission. "That's where his akuma is. I'll take care of the rest."

He shot her a wink. "See ya tonight, Princess." And with that, he took off doing somersaults through the air. As soon as he was out of sight, Marinette's legs gave in and she fell onto her knees, her eyes sparkling and her smile dreamy. "He-He called me his princess..." She sighed, her heart and her head soaring through the fluffy white clouds. "Nate should have gotten akumatized months ago."  
\------------  
The night was illuminated by the army of twinkling stars and the full moon above, the Eiffel Tower all aglow, a perfect atmosphere for romance. And that's just what the Evillustrator was counting on as he awaited his muse's arrival. His dreams seemed to be coming true when he saw her walk up the pier towards the yacht that he had brought to life from nothing with his new powers for their magical evening together.

"Marinette!" He leapt off the yacht and onto the deck to greet her. "Thank you for accepting my invitation." "No problem.", she said, looking around at the setting. "Its beautiful." "Not as beautiful as you.", he said, looking at her contently. "Hold on, I'm just getting started." He leapt back onto the boat and raised his akumatized pen to the drawing tablet attached to his arm.

Just then, as the clouds rolled in and partially blocked the moon, Evillustrator got frustrated and growled. "Come on! You've got to be kidding!" He glanced up to see Marinette blinking at him with round, innocent blue eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Its just I can't draw properly in the dark." Marinette immediately took a mental note of that. It might come in handy later on.

Kneeling next to a lamp, he scribbled on the tablet, and a tiny moon appeared at the head of the yacht, giving him enough light to draw as much as he pleased. "Et voila!", he exclaimed, holding out his arms like a magician who'd just finished an illusion on the Las Vegas stage. "Now come on! The night is young!" Marinette gave a curt nod and stepped onto the boat to begin her date with destiny.

They sat side by side at the head of the yacht as it rolled down la seine. As they floated upstream, the Evillustrator drew musical notes that played real romantic music. Marinette took in her surroundings, her eyes peeled for a familar streak of black. Soon enough, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, her hero doing a series of flips and midair spins off the nearby rooftops. Time to put the next phase of the plan into action.

Pretending that it was Chat Noir sitting at her side, she gushed sweetly, "You're so talented. I just don't understand why you want to use your powers to hurt people." "Not all people.", he corrected her. "Just Chloe." He said her name like he had a bad taste in his mouth, a tone that Marinette could not blame him for. "But I won't do that anymore. After all, you were true to your word, so I'll be true to mine."

Chat Noir, without a sound, stuck the landing behind Marinette and the Evillustrator. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the akuma cozy up to Marinette. He knew that he should be focused completely on the mission, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. He should be the one on a date with Marinette, cooing sweet nothings into her ear, gazing into her gorgeous baby blues, not that overgrown Oompah-Loompah. His hands gripped his staff so tightly that his knuckles turned white under her his black leather gloves as he silently seethed with envy.

"I actually draw a little, too." "Yeah, I've noticed. Y'know, birds of a feather flock together." "Well, I'm not as good as you are, but..." "Oh, I'm sure that you're a wonderful artist." Marinette saw her opportunity. "Well...can I draw you something special for your birthday?" She gently took the end of his pencil by her fingertips, hoping to get it away from him to get at the akuma. Evillustrator looked hesitant.

When he turned to look at her, he saw a head of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. Catching on quickly, he shot a stern look at Marinette. "Give me back my pencil. I need to draw something. Now."  Marinette's Ladybug instincts kicked in.  No more Miss Nice Girl.  Time to get serious.  "No.  I'm keeping it!"  She snatched the pencil and held it out of his reach.  "Chat Noir!  Now!"

That was his cue.  He leapt out of the shadows and into the moonlight, summoning his bo staff to grow in length and swipe diagonal in front of the Evillustrator, who looked hurt and betrayed.  "Marinette!  You're working with him?!"  He had the face of a kicked puppy, and for a moment, Marinette actually felt guilty.

That moment was over as soon as his sad face was replaced with an angry sneer.  "I'm so stupid!  I actually thought you liked me!  But you're really just like Chloe!  Teasing me!  Mocking me!  Leading me on!"  Marinette frowned and stomped her foot in frustration.  "Ugh, seriously?!  Why is everybody comparing me to Chloe tonight?!"

She didn't have too much time to gripe, as Evillustrator kicked away Chat Noir's staff and leapt forward, snatching back his pencil as he soared over her head and landed atop of the tiny moon that he had conquered.  Chat jumped towards him, holding his staff overhead, ready to tear into Evillustrator for more reasons than one, when Evillustrator drew something on his tablet, and a glass box appeared and fell over the cat hero, trapping both him and Marinette inside.

Triumphant, the akuma leapt on the flat roof of the box and sneered down at it's captives.  "And since you broke your promise, I'm taking back mine!  Chloe's gonna get a little lesson that she'll never forget!"  Before taking off to teach said lesson to said perpetrator, he used the eraser on his tablet to create a hole in the boat, then left them to sink.

"We've been penned in!  Literally!", Chat Noir cried, banging his staff against the glass.  Marinette tried hard not to panic.  Chat Noir could always use his Cataclysm to disintegrate the cage, but that move always put a timer on his transformation.  Seeing the end of his staff hit the glass, she got an idea.  "Wait!  Your stick!"  She pulled him to the ground, and pointed towards the top.  "Like this!  Then extend it!"  He grinned from ear to ear.  "You're a genius!"

He wrapped his arm around her waist, then commanded his staff to extend, lifting them off the ground and into the air with the box.  The weight of their cage caused the stick to fall over to the side.  Thankfully, they landed on the bridge by the chapel.  He scrambled to his feet, and seconds later, realized that he was holding Marinette bridal style.

They just stared at each other for the longest time.  His blush was concealed underneath his black mask, but she wore no mask, so her red face was visible.  In fact, it was so red, it glowed even in the dim moonlight.  He smirked nervously, and an overzealous grin graced her own features.  Both of them would be lying if they didn't say they had had fantasies just like this.

Soon enough, Chat Noir realized that he still had a job to do, a villain to stop.  So, suppressing his disappointment, he gently lowered Marinette to her feet and said, "Gotta go.  Gotta go save Little Miss Bratty from Evillustrator.  But I'll see ya around, beautiful."  Taking her hand, he placed a chaste kiss on her fingers.  "Au revoir, mon princesse."

Marinette watch him take off, her fingers tingling on the spot where his lips had touched her.  If life was an old timey cartoon, she would be floating a foot off the ground with hearts in her eyes. It took Tikki's constant chanting of her name to bring her back to Earth and remind her of what had to be done. "Right! Tikki, spots on!"  
\-------------  
Marinette watched half-sad as Sabrina went running back to Chloe's side, like a loyal dog running to it's master. Oh, well. At least she tried. She closed her locker door, only to jump when she heard a gentle "hi" from behind her and spun around to see Adrien standing behind her, having appeared out of nowhere.

He screamed in response to her startled shriek, his face turning as red as Nathaniel's hair. "Oh, I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I-I just wanted to ask you how your date with Chat Noir went!" Marinette blushed at the word "date". "Well, I-I-I wouldn't call it a date, but..." She looked away and smiled shyly. "...Yeah, it was great." Adrien got butterflies in his stomach seeing her gush about his alter ego. "I'll bet it was a dream."

Seconds later, his brain caught up with his mouth. "What—What I mean is—you're dreamy! No, you're a dream! I mean—" He slapped his hand over his forehead. "Me and my mouth." He simply took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his bangs. "I'm just glad you're okay after all." She smiled at him fondly. She would never admit it, but she found it adorable when he stammered like that, like a puppy or something.

"You don't have to worry about me.", she said. "I'm a tough girl." She gave his left shoulder a firm double pat and headed off towards class, her back turned to Adrien as he swooned and held his hand over his heart. Plagg popped out of his jacket pocket and made a gagging noise. "You're dreamy! You're a a dream! Bleh! You really make me sick with your sappy love talk, you know that, kid?"

Adrien had a goofy smile that stretched from one ear to the other. "She touched my shoulder. I'm never gonna wash this jacket again." Plagg rolled his eyes. "Kid, you've got it bad."


	8. Copycat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien’s unluckiest day ever includes an imposter smearing his superhero name and the most embarrassing voicemail to ever be recorded—right on Marinette’s phone. Meanwhile, Marinette herself has her own problems when a jealous suitor sets out to win her over—by taking out his competition.

It was a regular day for Adrien Agreste. He had had a photoshoot this afternoon, but it had been postponed until tomorrow due to a problem with the equipment. Gabriel, not wanting his son to waste the day dilly-dallying, had told Adrien that he could brush up on his Chinese instead. But instead of prepping his languages, like his father expected, Adrien was instead rehearsing for something that he felt was of far more importance.

"H-H-Hey, Mari! Marinette! You mind if I call you Mari? That's okay! Anyway, there's, uh, there's a movie coming out with th-that actor you really like. I was hoping—wondering! I wasn't hoping! I'm not desperate! Its not like I dream about holding you in my arms while the rest of the world fades away...I mean!" The model was cut off by the cackling of his kwami, who was holding up a photo of his chosen's object of affection.

Adrien glared. "Glad to see my misery brings you joy." "Sorry, sorry.", Plagg gasped out between snickers. Adrien ran his fingers through his tousled locks of gold as he fell backwards onto his bed. "Its hopeless.", he moaned. "If I can't even ask out a photo of Marinette, how can I pull off the real deal?" "Are you sure?", asked Plagg. "I'm having fun watching you. 'Hey, Marinette, you wanna blah-gee-duh!'"

"I can't help it!", he exclaimed, jolting to an upright sitting position. "Everytime I see her, I get all woozy and I feel like I might faint!" He gazed out the window, smiling goofily as the clouds seemed to form her smiling face, her sparkling blue eyes, the cute little freckles on her adorable button nose. Plagg looked at him with a quirked eyebrow as he nibbled on some camembert. "So...basically the only way you could have a normal conversation with her is if you were blindfolded." Adrien slumped over, his posture looking like a question mark. "Pretty much."

"Kid, I got the solution.", said Plagg. "Just don't look at her." Adrien frowned at his kwami. "How can I ask her on a date without looking her in the eye?! If I avoid her gaze while talking, she'll think I'm acting weird." Plagg shook his head. As if Adrien didn't already act weird around her. "That's what you guys have these.", he said, floating over to the TV table and gesturing to a specific object—Adrien's smartphone.

"Plagg! You're a genius!", Adrien cried, jumping off his bed and diving towards the phone, snatching it up with a smile. The mentioned kwami smirked to himself. "I know." "This is perfect! I'll call her on the phone, and that way I won't have to see her!", said Adrien as he scrolled thrpugh his contacts list. "Maybe than I can talk to her like a normal person."

"Do you have her number?" "No,", he replied to Plagg. "But I think I know someone who will."  
\--------------  
"And...there!" Nino handed Adrien the phone back, and the blonde grinned from ear to ear when he saw the new name in his contacts—💘Marinette🥐. His eyes glimmered at the ten-digit sequence. "Thanks, Nino. You're the man." "One more thing.", said the capped boy. "While your bodyguard was driving me here, I wrote down a script for you." He took out a notepad and handed it to the other boy.

Adrien stared at the paper. "A script?" "Well, no offense, but we all know improv's not really your thing, bro.", Nino remarked with a nonchalant shrug. Adrien could not argue with him over that. "So just read from this, and you'll be fine." Adrien frowned. "Nino, I'm a model, not an actor. I don't sound natural when I read." "So memorize it!" "But what if something goes wrong?" "Too late!", Nino said, and before Adrien could do anything to stop him, he reached over and tapped Marinette's number, starting the call.

Adrien dropped the notepad and threw the phone a foot into the air with a yelp before catching it back in his hands before it hit the ground and cost his father $199. "Nino! I'm not ready!" "Relax!", said Nino, backing away from the blast zone. "Just don't improvise!" He gave his best friend an encouraging grin and two thumbs up. "You got this, dude!"

Taking a deep breath, Adrien held the phone to his ear, the dial tone being drowned out by the blood pounding in his ears. At last, he heard a click at the other end, and his heart nearly leapt out of his throat. "Hi, this is Marinette! Sorry I can't take your call right now. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you. Have a great day!" Adrien waited until he heard the beep of her voicemail machine and went for the kill.

"H-H-Hey, Marinette!", he stammered. "Well, Marinette's voicemail! Its me, Adrien! You know, Adrien Agreste, who...who sits in front of you in class!" What is coming out of my mouth?!, he thought. C'mon, Agreste, pull yourself together! Where's that Chat Noir charisma when you really need it?  "A-Anyway, I gotta ask you something, so...socallmebackokseeyabye!"

And with that, he immediately chucked the phone onto his bed like it was a bomb about to go off.  Well, that went just about as well as the time I threw up on the runway., he thought.  His phone landed right next to Nino, who was sitting there during the call.  The aspiring DJ didn't say a word to Adrien, choosing instead to give his best bro a deadpan expression, complete with one quirked eyebrow.  The model plopped down on the other side of the device, wearing a guilty expression before ranting in frustration.

"Well, what did you expect me to say?!  'Hey there, pretty lady, this is Adrien!  I would ask you out on a date, but the problem is, I'm so madly in love with you that the only way I can say two words to you without shorting out my brain is through this stupid phone'!" He ended his little monologue with a chuckle.  "Yeah, pretty romantic, huh?"  He and Nino shared a small laugh.  Nino had to admit, it was kinda funny.

"If you would like to hear the message again, press one."

Every muscle in Adrien's body froze.  His green eyes glanced down at his phone—and his heart stopped when he saw that the timer was still running. In his nervous haste, he had completely forgotten to end the call, and everything he had just said had been recorded. "If you would like to erase your message, press two." Adrien's face took on a state of panic, and he looked to Nino for answers. His best friend looked panicked as well, but his senses were still working as he whisper-yelled, "Two! Press two!"

Adrien fell over his bed, sprawled out over the sheets on his stomach. His phone fumbled in the air on the tips of his fingers for a few moments before he finally got a grip on it and hit a button, releasing a sigh of relief immediately afterwards. "Message sent. Goodbye." And just like that, Adrien felt his soul leave his body.

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He just lay there on his bed, phone in his hands, his right eye twitching uncomfortably. Nino, who had been the one to trick him into calling Marinette before he felt prepared, awkwardly patted his friend's shoulder with a mixture of sympathy and guilt. "Adrien...bro...let's not panic." Adrien stared at his phone, feeling as if he might explode. "The voicemail recorded our entire conversation."

"Maybe this is a good thing?", Nino suggested. At that, Adrien snapped out of his catatonic state and whipped his head to glare at Nino with rage in his eyes. "A GOOD thing?!" "Hear me out, dude!", said the red-hatted boy. "This way, she'll finally know how you really feel!" "I don't want her to find out like that!", Adrien screamed before letting his head fall on his pillow in frustration.

"C'mon, bro. It wasn't that bad.", Nino told him in an attempt to boost his buddy's confidence. Said buddy lifted his head off his pillow and responded in a deadpan tone of voice. "I called her pretty lady. And said I was madly in love with her. Its bad." His head fell back down as Nino hissed at the reminder, realizing there really was no way to put a positive spin on this. "Right."

Adrien jumped back into a sitting position, his eyes wide with terror. "I can't let her hear that message!", he shouted, shaking Nino by the shoulders hard enough to give him whiplash. "If she does, I will die of shame!" "Okay, calm down, dude!", his pal said, freeing himself from the blond's clutches. "I got an idea! If Marinette's phone went to voicemail, that means she's busy right now or something. That means you can get the phone before she does. All we gotta do is figure out where she could be."

Adrien's face brightened. "Of course!" Nino watched him grab his phone back and swipe through it for a minute before crying out, "Aha! Here it is! Marinette has her sewing club afterschool on Wednesdays! It ends in approximately twenty-two minutes! I just gotta go back to school, grab her phone, and delete the message before she has a chance to hear it!"

He looked up with a smile, only to see Nino gawking at him, brown eyes wide behind his glasses. "What?" One of his eyebrows raised at his model friend. "Dude...how do you know that?" Adrien's face turned the color of strawberries, his grassy eyes darting back and forth as he stumbled around his mind for an answer. "Uh..."

Not waiting for a reply, Nino grabbed Adrien's wrist and pulled him over so that the phone screen was glaring at him. What he saw on it nearly made him choke. It was Marinette's entire schedule, listing off the times and dates of her activities, from her shifts at the bakery to her weekly get-togethers with Alya, tracking down her every move from the minute she awoke in the morning to the moment she fell asleep at night.

Not moving his head, Nino looked out of the corner of his eye at Adrien, who waswearing a sheepish expression and blushing out of a mixture of embarrassment and guilt. "Seriously, dude?", Nino remarked cynically. "Its bad enough you have her picture everywhere." He gestured to the dozens of photos of Marinette, each of her in a different outfit, plastered all over the walls surrounding Adrien's desk. Not only that, there was a collage of her pictures serving as his computer's screensaver.

Nino picked up the photo of Marinette in a golden heart-shaped frame that Adrien kept on his nightstand and looked at his pal with a strange expression. "How did you even get all these?" "Easy.", said Adrien. "Every time Marinette makes a new outfit, I tell her to let me take photos of her modeling it, because it deserves to be modeled and I have the most experience with those kinda things. Then, when I download the pics for her, I download another for myself and transfer it to my computer via the flash drive I carry with me in case the opportunity arises."

Nino blinked twice. Adrien had said all that, in great detail, in a tone of voice that suggested that everything he had just described was not creepy in the slightest way. Adrien picked up on his awkward stare and gave him another, "What?" Nino shook his head. "Nothing." He silently swore that if Adrien ever did get Mari to fall for him, Nino would have to help him cool down this whole stalker vibe he had going on.  
\-----------------  
Marinette finished the stitch on the fabric hanging off the dummy and took a tiny step back to admire her work. Once she was done basking in her small glory, she raised her hand. "Yes, Marinette?" "May I be excused to use the restroom?" "Of course, go on ahead."

Taking her purse, Marinette calmly walked from the room and down the halls. Once she was alone, she felt a poke at her side from her bag. Opening it, she was greeted by the smiling face of Tikki, happily munching on a chocolate chip. The red kwami swallowed and held up her chosen's smartphone. "You have one new message."

"Thanks, Tikki.", said Marinette, taking the phone and checking her feed. Her pretty eyebrows knitted together when she saw an unfamiliar sequence of numbers on her missed calls feed. "Hmmm...I don't recognize this number." She was just about to press the play icon to relay the message when she noticed the time at the top of her screen. "Oh! I'm gonna be late for the statue unveiling!"

Today, to honor and thank Ladybug and Chat Noir, the city had commissioned a talented sculptor, Theo Barbot, to create a statue of Paris's dynamic duo, to stand in the heart of their home, to remind all of them and all they did to protect their fellow Parisians from Hawkmoth and his akumas. As half of the inspiration for the sculpture, Ladybug had to make an appearance. And appear she would.

She hurried to her locker, slipped her purse inside, and locked it tight while Tikki hovered over her shoulder, finishing her chocolate chip. "Tikki, spots on!"  
\-------------------  
Adrien had gotten the Gorilla to drive him and Nino back to the school, with the excuse that they had forgotten a project there.  Adrien was shaking with fear and anxiety.  He needed to get that phone and delete his message before Marinette heard it and thought he was some lovesick puppy and never talk to him again.

As they arrived, Adrien and Nino saw a blur of black and red swinging by and doing flips in midair.  As they kept their eyes on Ladybug, they noticed that she was heading towards the park.  That's when it hit them.  "Dude!  They're unveiling Ladybug and Chat Noir's sculptures today!", exclaimed Nino with a mixture of excitement and worry.  "I totally spaced!"

Adrien smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand.  "So did I.", he moaned.  He looked up see Nino looking at him with a quirked brow.  "You're going, too?  You never mentioned it before."  Adrien briefly panicked.  What am I supposed to tell him?, he thought with his eyes darting back and forth.  Yeah, I was planning on going, just as Chat Noir instead of Adrien?  "I guess I...forgot?"  Please buy it.

Luckily, Nino did.  Then, he turned the conversation onto another topic.  "Look, dude, I know I said I'd help you out with the phone thing, but I kinda promised Alya I'd help her cover this event for the Ladyblog.  Maybe we can take care of this after the unveiling?"  "By the time they're done, Marinette's sewing club will be over, and she'll have her phone back!", Adrien exclaimed.

Nino wore an expression that was a mixture of guilt and indecisiveness.  Adrien clearly saw his inner turmoil over helping his best buddy with his mistake or keeping his promise to Alya, and decided to let him loose.  "Go to the unveiling.  I can do this on my own."  "You sure, bro?"  "Positive.  Go on."  Nino gave him a fist bump.  "You're the best!"  He did not waste a second more, making a b-line towards the park.

Plagg poked his head out of Adrien's pocket, eying his chosen seriously.  "So, Chat Noir's not gonna be at the statue unveiling?"  Adrien bit his lip as the guilt sank in.  While he did feel sort of bad that one of his duties to the people of Paris and to Ladybug as one half of their superhero duo would be put on hold for a personal issue (not to mention one that was only created by a temporary lapse of competence on his part entirely), he could not risk the possibility of ruining any chance he might had with the girl of his dreams.

"I wish he could, but Adrien has something important to take care of."  Plagg looked at her with a bit of the look disappointed parents give the children, but did not press the issue any further.  Taking a deep breath, Adrien ran into school, slinking down the hallways on the tips of his toes as quietly as he could.  
\-----------------  
"There she is!"

No words could describe the joy that Theo felt when he saw his idol, his muse, his inspiration, appear from the sky above like an angel falling from the heavens, flipping midair and sticking a perfect landing on the grass before him.  The crowd gathered for the unveiling applauded her flawless stunt, but their clapping was tuned out by the artist, who was rendered speechless by the presence of the most incredible woman he had ever known.

He drank in her beauty—her dark hair that shone with highlights of blue when the sun-rays hit it, the pale yet striking color of her eyes, the sweet yet confident smile she wore as she waved to her adoring fans as a thanks for their cheers.  "Thank you!  Thank you!  You guys are too kind.", she said as she went to stand by the Mayor.

Theo could not stop grinning or staring at her.  Here she was, the most spectacular girl in all of Paris, possibly in all the world, standing a mere few feet from him.  The whole thing felt surreal, like it was a dream that he would been cruelly awoken from at any moment.  He gave himself a pinch just to make sure, and was pleased when the pain did not do away with what he saw.

And what he saw was Ladybug herself walking towards him with a smile, sending his heart into overdrive.  "You're Theo Barbot, right?  The man who made the sculptures?"  Theo tried to speak, but any words that appeared in his mind died on his tongue.  So instead, he only nodded.  "You did a great job.", she said.  "You're quite talented."  His heart soared.  She thought he was talented!

Finally, he found his voice again.  "Thank you."  He held up a news article in his hand, with Ladybug on the front, swinging midair by her yoyo string.  "I used this for the pose!"  The real life Ladybug looked closer at the photo and smiled.  "You really got the detail down pat."  He held up a pen in the other hand.  "I was actually hoping that you could autograph it!  You're just so amazing!  You're brave and smart, the way you save everyone..."

He didn't get to finish as his idol accepted the paper and pen with a smile.  "Oh, of course I'll sign it!  I'm flattered you think so highly of me."  The pen glided over the newspaper smoothly, and she added a doodle of her polka-dotted yoyo over her hero name.  "There you go!", she chirped happily, handing it back to him.  He took it back with a grin, staring in awe at the calligraphy of his muse.  "Thank you, Ladybug."

"Don't mention it.", she said, innocently dismissing the excess of his gratitude with a wave of her hand.  "Its the least I could do after you worked so hard on the statue."  She glanced around, searching for a sign of black leather, but there was none to be found.  "Say, has Chat Noir arrived yet?", she asked.  "Not yet.", said Mayor Bourgeois.

Ladybug frowned.  "Really?  I thought he'd be here by now."  She turned to Theo.  "We were both so excited when we got the news that the city was getting us a statue."  "Perhaps the ceremony should commence.", said the Mayor.  "Might bring him here faster."  Theo saw the distressed look on his lady love's face and decided to step up to her rescue.  "Maybe we should wait a little bit more?", he suggested.  "After all, Ladybug just got here."

The Mayor rolled his eyes, but reluctantly said, "I suppose you're right.  But just five more minutes.  Not a second more."  "Thank you, Your Honor.", said Ladybug.  She turned back to Theo.  "Don't worry.  He'll show up any minute now.  I can feel it."  She glanced up towards the sky, keeping her eyes peeled for her sweet kitty.  Somehow, Theo didn't like the expression on Ladybug's face when she looked for her partner.  
\-----------------  
Adrien crept down the hallways towards the girls's locker room, making sure that not a single set of eyes saw him.  He slipped in through the door.  "I'm in!"  His feeling of victory soon vanished when he saw dozens of lockers, all identical, lined up in neat rows.  It was impossible to know which was belonged to Marinette.  Plagg shook his head.  "Hoo boy."  Adrien had a mini panic attack.  "Which one's hers?!"

"I gotta idea!", his kwami whispered.  "If you call her phone, it'll ring!"  "Good thinking, Plagg!", said Adrien, whipping out his phone again and re-pressing Marinette's contact.  Hearing a muffled ringing sound from a particular row of lockers, Adrien pressed his ear against the cold metal and shifted down the lockers, one by one, listening closely for the loudest sound.  
\---------------  
Chat Noir was still a no-show.  At the urging of the Mayor, Ladybug relented and allowed him to begin the ceremony, all while trying and failing to hide her disappointment.  She had been looking forward to sharing this moment with Chat Noir, seeing their likenesses immortalized in art.  Flashes of resentment for him boiled in her for a moment, but she quickly shook of those feelings, telling herself he must have been caught up with something in his civilian life.  Why else would he have stood up her and the people of Paris?

Unless...she had misread something.  Maybe he wasn't as excited about seeing a tribute to their friendship as she had been.  Maybe he didn't even want there to be a statue representing their partnership and everything they had gone through together standing in the heart of Paris for all eternity.  Well, that did not do anything for her self-esteem concerning her love for him.

"Its only proper for Paris to pay homage to those who protect us from evil. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you—Ladybug and Chat Noir!" The white cover was pulled off, and the crowd applauded as the statues saw the light of day for the first time, the smooth, flawless bronze gleaming in the light of the sun.

Theo smiled as he clapped. Not only had he created a masterpiece of the heroes of Paris that would stand fir all time, but he got to meet the girl who inspired half of it as well. He looked over at said idol, expecting her to be impressed at his handiwork. His spirits fell when he saw that she did not look so. She was not even smiling. In fact, she looked sad.

Before he could express his concern, a young girl with brown-and-auburn hair and round brown glasses stepped forward, clutching her phone in excitement and dragging a boy with round specular glasses and a red baseball cap in tow. "Can I get some photos for the Ladyblog?" Ah, the Ladyblog. Theo was familiar with the website dedicated to everything concerning the Miraculous heroes. In fact, he was a loyal subscriber.

Ladybug put on a smile on her face as she looked at the girl. "Of course." Theo looked at her smile, and something in him just knew that it was not genuine.  
\------------  
Adrien's shifting became faster and faster. He had to hurry up. The clock was ticking. Any minute now, Marinette's sewing club would end, and she would come back into the locker room to retrieve her cell phone. What would she think if she saw Adrien sneaking around a ladies's area?

Finally, he found the source of the ringing. "Got it!" He grabbed the handle and yanked, but it was locked. Cue another freakout. He turned to his kwami, floating next to him. "Plagg, you've gotta shift through it and unlock it from the inside. If you do, I'll double your Camembert for a week!" "Two weeks!" "Fine! Just help!"

Plagg obeyed and phased through the cold steel of the locker door to get inside. Seconds later, said door bust open, much to Adrien's relief. He took a moment to admire the contents of his beloved's lockers—the way her purse sat upright, the little decorations that she had no doubt made herself, how her books were stacked neatly, and in alphabetical order to boot.

"Whatcha waitin' for, pretty lady?" Plagg's teasing harshly reminded Adrien of his predicament, and he grabbed Marinette's shoulder bag and opened it to rummage through. If Plagg had waited just a moment longer, Adrien would have noticed the miniature Chat Noir pin-up poster taped to the side of Marinette's locker with a heart drawn around his head in red marker.  
\----------------  
The crowd that had gathered for the statue unveiling were starting to go their seoarate ways. Alya and Nino had gotten new material for the Ladyblog (and boy was she thrilled about it). And the Mayor had a city to run, so he was leaving, too. That left only Theo and Ladybug by the new sculptures. He was alone with his idol. He would have been happier about it if she did not seem so unhappy.

He came to her side as she looked up at the newest homage to her and her partner, a sad look on her face. "What's wrong?", he asked, getting her attention. "Do you not like the sculptures?" Her eyes went wide, and she instantly shook her hands and head. "Oh, no, no, no, no! Its not that! They're amazing! Its just..." She looked back at the statue and touched the bronze leg of her partner's half.

Looking at her, Theo realized she was looking at the likeness of the feline hero, specfically. And it hit him. "Its Chat Noir, isn't it?", he implied. "You're upset that he didn't show up." A part of him was relieved that it was the absence of her partner that she was disappointed over, not Theo's work. On the other hand, she was sad, and that made him sad, too.

Ladybug sighed. "I really thought he'd be here." "I'm sure he wanted to.", said Theo, offering comfort. Perhaps she would fall for him if she saw how sweet and kind he was. "Something must have come up." She turned back to him. "I'm more sad for you." She looked up at the statue. "You did such a good job on these sculptures. I wish he could have seen them." She then added with a dreamy sigh. "You really captured his essence."

Theo immediately took notice of the wide smile she wore and the way her eyes sparkled as she spoke of her partner, and his heart strings tightened. "I...I take it you're fond of him?" Ladybug swooned and spun on one foot, her hands clasped together and raised to press against one cheek. "Fond doesn't even begin to describe how I feel for him! One of the main reasons I have for defeating Hawkmoth is that once this is all over, they'll be nothing keeping us apart! We'll finally be together!"

A lump formed in Theo's throat, and he swallowed it before he asked, "You...You love him?" She sighed happily, her cheeks tinting pink at Theo's question, completely oblivious to the artist's own adoration for her. "I honestly know there isn't gonna be another boy in this world for me."

And with those words, Theo's heartstrings completely snapped. Ladybug did not see the hurt on his face, instead sending one last thanks over her shoulder before swinging off towards the rooftops.  
\---------------  
Adrien swiped the buttons on the passcode on the phone screen demand in various patterns, praying to Miraculous that one of the combinations would unlock it. But each and every attempt only got him a red light and the sound kf a blaring siren, prompting him to try a different series of movements.

"Adrien, put the phone back!", shouted Plagg. "But I haven't erased the message yet!" "Forget the stupid message!", the black kwami shouted. "We're out of time! We already missed the statue ceremony, and her class is gonna be over any minute now!" No sooner had he spoken, the sounds of footsteps came from outside the door, growing louder and louder, giving Adrien a mini heart attack.

"What do I do?!", he hissed, more to himself than to Plagg. If Marinette caught him in the act now, she may assume the worst. And even if she didn't, she would still ask for an explanation as to why he had broken into her personal locker and was messing around with her cell phone. And if he told her the truth, she would want to listen to the message before she let him off the hook.

The footsteps drew closer and closer, and Adrien's heart and mind raced as he searched his logic on what to do next. In a moment of desperation, he put Marinette's cell phone in the back pocket of his jeans and dove next to the door. The door blocked his presence as it swung open. Adrien didn't wait to see if the person who had entered the room was Marinette or not. He just got out of there as fast as he could.  
\----------------  
Theo stood in his art studio, staring down at the article of Ladybug that she had autographed for him. But it did not give him the pleasure that he had expected. All he could think about was her declaration of love for her green-eyed, cat-eared, leather-clad partner, how Theo's own romantic feelings towards her had been completely ignored.

"No other boy in the world for you?" He repeated the heroine's words from earlier with bitterness dripping from his voice. He glanced over at a model of Chat Noir's head that he had made to practice sculpting his facial features. Theo had been proud of it when he had finished it, but now looking at it just filled him with rage. "He didn't even show up on your big day! He doesn't deserve you! I do!" He swung his arm out to knock the reminder of his rival to the ground, shattering it to pieces, just like what Ladybug had done to his heart.

So strong was his newborn hatred for the baton-wielding hero, it would have been impossible for Hawkmoth to not pick up on it right away.  
\---------------  
Marinette dug through her small purse, confused and frustrated. For someone who represented the creature that symbolized good luck, it seemed like luck was not on her side today. First, her hero partner/love of her life had completely stood up her and their adoring public for something she had been looking forward to sharing with him for weeks. And now, after getting back from the statue unveiling, she had found that her cell phone had mysteriously disappeared from her bag.

"Where is it?", she wondered aloud, rummaging through her purse. It wasn't that big, the phone shouldn't have been able to get lost in there. "I could have sworn I put it in here before I left." "Maybe you should try calling it.", Tikki suggested, before taking another bite of strawberry macaroon. "Good idea.", Marinette said. She hurried downstairs to the bakery below.

Her parents were at the counter, filling out an order. She caught their attention for a moment and said, "Maman, Papa, I can't find my phone, can I use the business phone to try and find it?" "Okay, but be quick.", said Tom. "You could be holding up a phone order." Marinette grabbed the phone, dialed her number, and held it to one ear as it rang, keeping her other ear tuned in for her ringtone.  
\---------------  
"I can't believe you did that, kid." "Neither can I." Adrien stared at the cell phone at the foot of his bed, the phone that was not his, the phone that he had just stolen. Stolen, like a burglar or something. How had his measly teenage life come to thievery?

He took a deep breath. "Okay...don't freak out. All I gotta do is figure out her passcode, unlock the phone, delete the message, and then go put it somewhere she can find it!" He lifted the phone to start on his plan when suddenly, the device buzzed, an image of the Dupain-Cheng bakery logo appearing on the screen appearing as Jagged Stone's newest single filled the air.

Adrien screamed and dropped the phone like it was burning his skin. "Its Marinette! She's looking for her phone! Now she'll find out I stole it and never talk to me again and I'll be arrested for grand theft and Father will disown me for being a thief and I'll spend the rest of my life in jail and worst of all, I'll never get to go to the movies with Marinette!" He fell towards his bed and screamed into his pillow.

Plagg gave him a side-eye, shaking his head sadly. "Kid, you need to get your priorities in order." "I know."  
\------------------  
"Hi! This is Marinette! Sorry I can't take your call right now! Leave me a message and I'll get back to you! Have a great day!" Marinette sighed in defeat as she hung up. "I must have left it at school." She ran upstairs to grab her purse—with Tikki in it—before hurrying out the door.

As she ran by the store that sold TV sets, the one with various sets in the display window, she overheard Nadja Chamack broadcasting the local Parisian news. "And in some astonishing news, there's been a spectacular theft at the Lourve." Marinette put on the brakes, skidding to a stop by the TVs. A theft? At the Lourve? Sounded like a job for Ladybug and Chat Noir. The phone would have to wait.

She looked towards the TV sets, watching the segment for further information. "Amateur footage shows without a shadow of a doubt, that the thief is none other than the famous hero Chat Noir." Marinette gasped as the video played on the news, showing Chat Noir with a valuable painting in his hand, grinning evilly. "This painting is the cat's meow!"

Not wasting a moment, Marinette ran into a hidden alleyway before letting Tikki out of her purse.  "Something's wrong, Tikki!", she cried.  "I refuse to believe that Minou would resort to thievery!  It has to be an akuma!"  Tikki nodded in agreement with her.  Marinette stood tall.  "Time to transform!  Tikki, spots on!"  
\-------------  
"Okay, remind me again what the oven mitts are for?", Plagg asked in a deadpan tone of voice.  Adrien rolled his eyes behind the goggles strapped onto his face to give him better visage of the phone screen, should there be anything there to clue him in on how to unlock it.  "I couldn't find rubber gloves!  I had to make do with what I could find.  I can't risk leaving fingerprints."

Just then, his own phone rang, Nino's photo appearing onscreen to indicate that he was the caller.  Adrien picked up his device in his oven-mitted hands and pressed his nose against the green button.  The smiling face of his best friend gave him some comfort.  "Hey, dude!  Problem fixed?"  "Not yet.", said Adrien.  "But I'm working on it.  I'm trying to unlock her phone so I can erase the message."

Nino narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.  "Wait...you're in your bedroom.  And Marinette's sewing club ended hours ago.  So how..."  His eyes doubled in size behind his glasses as the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.  "Dude!  Do not tell me you took her phone!"  Adrien looked at him with a face that told him all he needed to know.  "Dude!  What is wrong with you?!"

Adrien leapt to his own defense.  "I didn't mean to!  I tried to erase it while she was at the club, but I couldn't unlock it in time, and I heard her coming back and...I panicked, okay?!"  Nino glanced around him before running off somewhere.  "Look dude, I'll come over later to help you out,", he whispered.  "Why are you whispering?", asked Adrien.  "Sorry, man, I'm with Alya right now.", Nino replied.  "Can't let her overhear.  She might tell Marinette."

"Where are you right now?"  "Alya dragged me to the Lourve to wait for additional deets on the Chat Noir robbery."  At that, Adrien completely forgot about the phone for a little bit.  "Robbery?!  What robbery?!"  He had been focused on the voicemail all dat.  He hadn't had the chance to be robbed in his alter ego.  "Dude, didn't you hear?"  Adrien looked at Nino sarcastically for a moment.  "In case you don't remember, I've been a little busy today."  "Chat Noir broke in and stole the Mona Lisa!  In broad daylight!"

Now that caught Adrien's full attention.  "What?!"  Plagg overheard and was so caught off-guard himself, he dropped his beloved Camembert right in the middle of eating it.  "Yeah!  Ladybug's sure to show up, and Alya doesn't want to miss a moment of it!", said Nino.  "I'll come over as soon as I can, okay dude?  Later!"  And with that, he hung up, leaving a shellshocked Adrien in his room with his equally surprised kwami.

Adrien gelt himself boil with anger.  "Not only is that person a fake, but he'a terrible fake!"  His mission would have to be put on hold.  This was far more important.  His reputation as a hero was at stake.  "Plagg, claws out!"  
\-------------  
Ladybug watched the two Chat Noirs wrestle one another on the floor.  Each one accused the other of being the imposter.  Which one was telling the truth?  They're what she could not figure out.  As much as she despised Hawkmoth, he had done an excellent job with his latest akuma.  He resembled her partner in every way.  Even their voices sounded the same.

Finally, one overpowered the other and pinned him to the floor.  In a flash, he grabbed the chained handcuff attached to the floor of the art studio and locked it around his opponent's wrist.  "There!"  He grabbed the other's clawed hand.  "The akuma's in his ring!  Grab it!"  He raised his head to look up at Ladybug, and her breath caught in her throat.

His eyes...they were full of love and adoration as they gazed up at her, his smile warm and affectionate.  Like she was the only girl he had ever seen.  It was exactly how she had always longed for him to look at her.  It was everything she had hoped for.  Her dream seemed to have finally become a reality.  And yet...as much as she wanted it to be true...

Walking over, Ladybug leaned forward to the victorious Chat Noir, who seemed in awe of her sudden closeness.  She smiled at him sweetly, her eyes glistening.  She tenderly grasped his wrists, causing his fingers to slip off his prisoner as his dreams came to life.  As soon as he let go, a wistful sigh escaped her lips as she tightened her fists...

...and threw the copycat off her partner.

The poser tumbled a few feet away, scrambling back up to gape at his beloved Ladybug in shock and confusion.  The real Chat Noir sighed in relief that his partner had seen through the ruse, not noticing her sad smile.  "I know Chat Noir.", she said, doing her best to conceal her disappointment.  "And he doesn't look at me like that."  
\---------------  
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"  With the swarm of ladybugs, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Lourve, and Theo was returned to his true appearance.  Ladybug walked up to the original Chat Noir with a smile.  "Nice catch."  "I'm so glad you could tell the real Chat Noir from the fake one."  "It was a no-brainer."

They were interrupted by a beeping sound from his ring.  He had to get back home right away.  He still needed to erase that embarrassing message from Marinette's phone.  "Better help the fellow out.", he said to his partner.  "His crush just got crushed."

Ladybug watched him go with a sad expression.  "That makes two of us.", she mumbled glumly.  Theo overheard her and felt bad.  She was clearly truly in love with the cat-eared boy.  And even though he adored her, he wanted her to be happy.  Besides, he mow knew what it was like to love someone who didn't feel the same way.

"Ladybug?"  She turned around as he rose to his feet, dusting himself off.  "I'm sorry things got so out of hand.  But if you really love Chat Noir, you should tell him how you feel."  Marinette sighed.  "If only it were that easy."  
\-------------  
Nino swiped the screen of the phone in a certain pattern, and it unlocked to his will.  He opened the message mailbox, where Adrien's embarrassing voicemail waited for someone to hear it.  He handed the phone back to Adrien, who raised his finger to delete the message and save his love life when Nino cried out, "Wait!"

"Dude, I know you want to erase that message, but think about this first.  I mean, sure, its kinda embarrassing, but its kinda sweet, too.  In a way.  And it seems awkward, but its even more awkward when you get all nervous and mix up your words around her.  At least in that message, you sounded natural and confident.  So...maybe this is the best way for her to know?"

Adrien thought about Nino's suggestion for a movement or two.  But then he shook his head.  "No...no, I'm not ready.  I wanna get to know her first, I mean, really know her.  I want us to establish a friendship before I confess to her."  Looking back at the phone, he took a deep breath before his finger tapped the two on the number dial. "Your message has been erased."  He realized a sigh of relief that it was all over at last.

"You know what?", he said smiling.  "I think I'm gonna give her this and tell her I found it.  Then I can ask her to the movies."  That would be a good way to break the ice.  "That's the spirit, bro.", said Nino, giving his buddy a high five.  
\------------  
As the two brothers from other mothers walked into the classroom, they overheard Marinette and Alya talking.  "Maybe you dropped it somewhere."  "I could have sworn, I put it in my purse, then I put it in my locker and locked it!", Marinette groaned, letting her pretty head fall onto her desk.  Alya thought for a moment, then looked worried.  "Uh-oh...maybe somebody broke in and stole it."  Marinette looked up with a panicked expression.  "Who would do that?!"

Adrien's heart skipped a beat.  Terror consumed him.  There was no way he could return her phone to her face-to-face.  He glanced over at Nino from the corner of his eye hoping to get an indication on what to do, but his friend looked just as lost as he was.  There was only one thing to .  Quicker than you could say "Cat-aclysm", Adrien dove in and slipped Marinette's phone back into her purse when no one was looking, then slid into his seat like nothing had happened, trying to look innocent.

Tikki was hanging out when something suddenly fell next to her in her chosen's purse.  She stealthily peeked out the bag to scan the classroom, but nothing looked suspicious.  Falling back in before anyone noticed her, she unlocked the phone and played Marinette's ringtone to get her attention.

Jagged's Stone's latest hit single blared through the thin fabric of the purse, catching everyone's ear.  "My phone!"  Marinette scooped up her bag and fished out the device.  "I swear, I looked through my purse like a hundred times!"  "You must have put it in a different compartment than you usually do.", said Alya with a shrug.  "I can be pretty scatterbrained sometimes.", Marinette laughed it off.

"What do you say we destress with some ice cream and a movie after school?", Alya asked her.  Marinette smiled at her bestie.  "Sounds good."  Adrien deflated when he overheard that.  So much for asking Marinette out on a date.  Luckily, he had the best friend and wingman in the world.  "Hey!  Mind if two dudes join the par-tay?", Nino piped up.  Marinette shrugged.  "I don't see why not."  Adrien grinned from ear to ear.

Tikki poked her head out of her chosen's bag.  She realized, judging from the position and the timing, that Adrien must have been the one to put the phone back.  Either he had found it...or he was the reason it went missing in the first place.  But Tikki had been around Adrien for a while now.  She knew of his affections for her chosen.  Any intention involving Marinette, Tikki just knew had to be good and pure.

The ladybug kwami didn't have to say anything.  What Marinette didn't know wouldn't kill her.


	9. Dark Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is in the air...and so is an akuma. Literally. Can Adrien win Marinette’s heart and cure Ladybug’s corrupted one before V-Day is over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this one took so long. It’s a really long chapter, plus I’ve been working on a bunch of other fanfics at the same time. Hope this was worth the wait. I don’t own MLB.

Today was no ordinary day in Mme. Bustier's class. No, today was a special day—Valentine's Day!  In honor of this romantic holiday, Mme. Bustier was holding lesson on classic fairytales, such as Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.  "Now class, in most fairytales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess.  Can anyone tell us why?"

Hopeless romantic Rose raised her hand right away.  "Because only love can conquer hate!"  "Correct, Rose!"  "Technically speaking, this reasoning is only exhibited in eighty-seven percent of all fairytales.", Max pointed out.  "And—"  "Thank you, Max.", Mme. Bustier said, cutting him off before he dampened the mood with his logical but negative knowledge.

Her eyes fell on Marinette, who was scribbling away in her notebook.  Her eyes seemed intently focused on whatever it was she was writing down.  "Marinette, I hope whatever you're writing down there has something to do with my lesson."  Marinette jumped as all eyes fell upon her, including the hopeful, longing green eyes of the blonde boy sitting in front of her.

"What did I say?"  Marinette regained her composure and cleared her throat.  "In fairytales, the prince kisses the princess because only love can conquer hate."  Mme. Bustier smiled, pleased to see that her lesson had indeed gotten through to her young pupil.  "Very good.  Glad to see you were paying attention."  Just then, the bell rang.  "Don't forget to finish reading Sleeping Beauty.  Happy Valentine's Day!"

Adrien gathered his things, stealing a few more doe-eyed glances back at Marinette, who was slipping the paper she had been working on earlier into her design notebook and smiling a little bit.  He wondered what it was that she had.  Maybe it was a new design.  Was it a dress?  A top?  A skirt?  A pair of shoes?  He thought about asking her, but he could barely say hi to her, let alone get out a full question without stuttering.

"Adriekins!"  Chloe's shrill cry pierced into his line of hearing and chased away the happy butterflies in his tummy.  She stood in the door with Sabrina, who was holding up a giant roll of some sort of paper material.  She unfurled it so that the bottom peeked out without showing the rest.  "Sign here, please.", said Chloe, pointing to the bottom with a permanent marker.

"Oh, come on, Chloe, you know I hate signing autographs.", Adrien sighed.  "That's not what this is.", she said, Sabrina adding in with a shake of her head.  "Its a petition against cruelty to hamsters.  Have you SEEN the ugly sweaters they're forced to wear?  Its appalling!"  A small voice inside him said to turn her down, that he shouldn't believe her, but the all-powerful moral voice drowned that small voice out.

As he signed his name at the bottom of the paper, Chloe glanced over his shoulder to see Marinette smiling at her notebook.  "Whatcha got there, Dupain-Cheng?!", she asked, strutting over towards the blunette, who jumped and hugged her design book to her chest like it was the only thing keeping her alive.  "N-Nothing!"

"Doesn't look like nothing!", Chloe said, reaching out and grabbing the book from Marinette.  "NO!", the pigtailed girl cried as her blonde valley girl foe took out the paper and gave it a quick glance, before breaking out into a wide grin.  "Oh my gosh!  Its a love poem!"  "Give that back!"  Marinette reached for her paper, but Chloe pushed her to the ground.  "Everyone needs to hear this!"

She bolted out the door past Adrien and Sabrina, booked it down the steps, and jumped on top of a table in the center of the courtyard.  "People!  For your entertainment, a poem by Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to her sweetheart!"  Adrien and Sabrina leaned over the railing to look out her below, joined moments later by Marinette.  Adrien saw the look of panic on her face, and instantly felt sorry for her as Chloe cleared her throat and began reading in a loud, dramatic voice.

"Your hair's as golden as the sun!  
Your striking emerald eyes!  
I wonder who you really are  
Beneath that strong disguise!  
When I ask you to be my Valentine,  
I hope that you will agree  
Because my love for you is true  
And will last for eternity!"

In the time it took her to read it, Marinette had rushed down the stairs and towards Chloe, who laughed cruelly as her rival ripped the poem from her hand.  "What a load of baloney!  I hope you weren't going to give it to anyone!  I pity the poor soul who got stuck with YOU loving them!"  Marinette clutched the poem to her heart as snickers rang around her from the other students.

Adrien came down the stairs, expecting her to let Chloe have it right then and there.  Instead, she simply turned and strode towards the exit, tossing her poem into the trash can on her way out.  As she passed him, he noticed the tears in her pretty bluebell eyes, and a wave of white-hot anger washed over him.  How dare Chloe embarrass his future wife like that!  Friend or not, if she wasn't going to give that spoiled brat a piece of her mind, he'd give her a piece of his.

He was sidelined from his mission by Nino throwing an arm over his shoulders.  "Dude!  Can you believe what just happened?!"  "No, I don't!", Adrien replied, glaring at Chloe, who was still chortling along with Sabrina about Marinette's sappy poem.  "I know Chloe could be mean, but that was just—"  "Not that!", Nino cut him off.  "That Marinette wrote a poem about you!"

Adrien jumped a foot away from his best buddy.  "What?!  You think that poem was about me?!"  "Dude, how many guys do you know have blonde hair and green eyes?!", Nino exclaimed excitingly, referring to the first verse of the poem.  Adrien thought about it.  Hair as golden as the sun...emerald eyes...could it be?  "Wait, what do you think she meant by 'strong disguise'?", he wondered aloud

"Dude, its poetry!", said Nino.  "She means who you are deep down inside!  It means she wants to get to know you better!  She's talking about you!"  Adrien's face broke out into the biggest of smiles.  "She likes me back!  She likes me back!"  Pumping his fists into the air, he screamed out, "SHE LIKES ME BACK!"  "Dude!"

Adrien looked to see that he had attracted the attentions of everyone in the courtyard.  Giving a nervous smile and a timid wave, he waited until they all went back to minding their own business.  Then he ran over and dove headfirst into the garbage can by the school entrance and fished Marinette's poem out of the trash, holding it against his heart happily.  
\-----------------  
Marinette sat on the front steps of the school, her face buried in her hands.  She was positively mortified.  She could not believe that Chloe had exposed the depths of her crush for everyone to hear.  For the first time, she hoped that Chat Noir did not go to her school.  He would've have heard the poem, and possibly figured out it was about him.

"You okay, girl?"  A friendly, familiar voice got her attention, and she lifted her head to see her bestie Alya sitting beside her.  Marinette groaned rather loudly.  "Chloe just read the mushy Valentine that I wrote aloud to the whole school!  Would you be okay?"  Alya shrugged.  "Fair enough."

Marinette pouted next to her best friend.  "What if everyone figures out I wrote about Chat Noir?  They'll think I'm some obsessed fangirl, I'll never hear the end of it!"  Girl, don't sweat.", said Alya.  "You didn't write the name down!  No one will figure it out."  "But I said, 'hair as golden as the sun' and 'emerald eyes'.", said Marinette.

Alya placed her hands on her shoulders.  "I bet lots of people know other people with blond hair and green eyes.  Its no big deal.  You know how this school is.  People make a big fuss over one little thing, and in a week, its like it never happened.  I promise, this will all blow over.  I bet people won't even remember it tomorrow."  Alya took her by the hand and pulled her to her feet.  "Come on!  Let's hit the chocolate shoppe!  They always have a blowout sale the day of Valentines for those last-minute forgetful shoppers!"

As they walked by, Marinette walked for a few feet before she realized that Alya was no longer beside her.  Turning around, she saw her companion had stopped suddenly a few feet back.  Marinette followed her line of vision to Kim and Max, standing near the school entrance and talking amongst themselves.  Marinette saw Kim had a heart-shaped box in his hand and a confident smile on his face.  She looked back at Alya, and instantly recognized the look in her eyes behind the glasses.  Her reporter senses had kicked in.  There was no stopping her.

Alya grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her over to the two boys to see what the deal was all about.  Peering over Kim's arm, Marinette saw the box he was holding contained a beautiful piece of jewelry, gold metal with tiny pearls, with two large crystals shaped like hearts the size of eggs.  It was sparkling.  It was dazzling.  It was obviously expensive.  And it was clearly meant for someone special.

"Ooh, sparkly!  Is that for moi?", Alya teased.  Kim gave her a funny look.  "Negative, Alya.", said Max, responding fir his buddy.  "The recipient of this gift has already been determined.  Its—"  Kim slammed a muscular hand over his mouth and pulled the little nerd boy towards him before he could spill the beans.  "Keep it on the down-low!"  Marinette smirked.  Yep.  Kim was doomed.  With Alya on the case, there was no worming out.

"Scoop!  Kim's got a major crush!", Alya exclaimed, turning on the recorder on her phone.  "Who's the lucky lady?"  Marinette only took her hand and lowered her phone.  "Ah-hem."  The look in her eyes reminded Alya about what had happened earlier.  Marinette had had her crush revealed to the public without permission.  Alya couldn't do the same to Kim.  Getting the hint, she stopped recording.

At that moment, Nino and Adrien were passing by, the latter practically walking on clouds as he hugged the crumpled piece of paper he had retrieved from the trash.  Marinette had written him a poem!  She loved him back!  She actually loved him back!  This was the best day of his life!  He bounced down the steps, gazing up contently towards the sky, when he heard the spoken words of his poet girl reach his ear.  "Its gorgeous, Kim!  She's gonna be ecstatic!"

Adrien looked in the direction of her melodious voice to see her and Alya standing with Max and Kim.  He crouched behind the banister of the steps, Nino catching on and following his lead, and listened in to what they were talking about.  Kim looked a little nervous, rubbing the back of his neck.  "Technically, she still has to accept."  He suddenly frowned.  "What if she says no?"

I feel you, bro., thought Adrien.  He could relate to Kim.  Rejection.  That was something everyone could express fear of.  It was the main reason he turned into a nervous, stuttering mess around Marinette.  Sure, any girl would cut off her right arm to date Adrien Agreste.  But Marinette was not any girl.  She wasn't into shallow things like fame and money and physical good looks.  And while she was always friendly towards Adrien, there was no guarantee that her intentions were more than just being friendly.

"She won't, Kim!", cried Marinette, catching everyone's attention.  "No way!  Don't hold back!  Go for it!  No regrets!". She pumped a fist in the air, her tone of voice encouraging and strong, like a sports fan cheering from the bleachers.  This seemed to boost Kim's confidence, as he grinned and started running in place, the athlete in him taking over and helping him prep mentally for his big moment.  "In that case, Operation Valentine's Day is underway!"  He slapped Max a high five.

They started talking something about running and la siene, but Adrien didn't hear a word.  He stared at the poem in his hands, thinking about what Marinette had said.  She obviously thought that if you had feelings for someone, you should not let anything hold you back.  If that was so, didn't that mean she wanted someone to confess to her?  What she had said were wise words indeed, and they struck a chord with him.

He and Nino waited until Marinette and Alya had left.  "Dude, she dishes out solid advice.", said Nino as he rose up to stand.  Adrien stole another glance at the paper, then turned to look at his best friend with a bold grin.  "Yeah, and I'm gonna take it."  Nino whipped his head to Adrien, brown eyes wide behind his glasses.  "Say what?!"

"I'm gonna do it!", exclaimed Adrien.  "I'm gonna tell Marinette how I feel!" He suddenly got a little shy, rubbing the side of his neck, much like Kim had done when he revealed his own plans to woo. "Well, sorta. I'll write it down. That way, I won't stutter or sweat." A huge grin split Nino's face in half.  "That's the spirit, dude!", he cried, throwing an arm around his bro.

A honking car horn sounded, and Adrien's attention was stolen by his bodyguard, standing by the family luxury car, waiting for him.  He had to return home to study Chinese.  "I'll call you later to tell you how it goes!", he said, adjusting his bookbag over his shoulder.  He and Nino shared a secret handshake, and a shout.  "Operation Valentine's Day!"

Adrien hurried to the edge of the sidewalk and practically dove into the car, eager to get home.  But not to practice Chinese.  He had a more important, more difficult language to master—the language of love.  
\----------------  
"Dear Marinette...my dear Marinette....dearest Marinette...darling Marinette." Alone in his room, Adrien had told Nathalie he would study his Chinese after his homework was done, as planned, when he was secretly planning to pen his adoration for a the blue-eyed, pigtailed princess that sat behind him in class. Half an hour had passed since he had finished the homework and started on the love letter, and the most that he had gotten done was narrow the options for the starting line to four different choices.

Adrien groaned and sat back into his swivel chair. "Ugh, I don't get it! I can speak Chinese fluently, but I can't wrote a stupid letter? I sound like a total dork-a-saurus!" "Ha! Only when you use words like 'dork-a-saurus'!", Plagg remarked. Adrien gave him a side-eye glare. "Glad to see my hopelessness amuses you."

"Aww, day poor boy's fwustwated because he can't finish his widdle letter for his pigtail sweetheawt?", teased Plagg, talking to Adrien like a infant child.  Adrien scowled at him, and Plagg continued his banter.  "What's the big deal anyway?  So she's got arms, eyes, legs, big deal!  How could you possibly be in love with Marinette?"  Adrien leaned back into his swivel chair.  "You don't know anything about about love."  "Sure I do!", replied Plagg.  "I love cheddar, I love Swiss, and I love Camembert!"

Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami's "declarations of love".  Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marinette's letter hanging on the wall where he had hung it, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree—whoops, sorry, wrong holiday—like the Eiffel Tower on a romantic night.  "That's it!", he burst out, startling Plagg.  "Why didn't I think of that before?!  I'll write an answer to her poem!"  Plagg rolled his eyes and gagged.  "Yeeck!  All this mushy gushy love talk is making me lose my appetite!"  As soon as he said that, he popped a huge chunk of Camembert into his mouth.  "Almost."

Adrien went digging through his supply drawers and fished out a piece of neon green construction paper and a pair of scissors.  Carefully cutting the paper, he made a folding, each half in the shape of hearts. The moment he placed pen to paper, the words just seemed to flow off the top of his head. His pen glided across in smooth calligraphy, and he finished his poem with a satisfied flick of the pen. "Voila! Now I just need to sign my name!"

"Let me read it!" In the blink of an eye, Plagg swooped in and snatched the Valentine clean off the desk. Adrien gasped, his nerves shooting off as he chased Plagg around the room, trying to get the card back. "Plagg! Quit it!" The black kwami gave the card a quick scan and burst into a fit of chortles. "Boy, what a sap-fest!" Adrien finally reached him and grabbed back his Valentine, his face pouting. "Yeah, yeah, you think its awful, I get it!"

"Aw, relax, kid.", Plagg said, shrugging it off. "I meant that as a compliment! She's gonna love it. Its as mushy as the one she wrote for you!" Adrien's immediately cheered up at that. "You really think so?", he asked, his heart soaring. "In that case, I better get it to her straight away!" He fished an envelope from his supply drawer and stuffed his Valentine inside before running out the door.  
\-----------------  
Meanwhile, Marinette sat in her bedroom, thinking hard about the day's events from earlier. She had given Kim a whole pep talk, pushing him to go after his crush and seize the day. And yet, here she was, writing her own feelings down on (supposed-to-be) private papers instead of saying them to the face of her beloved. She looked up at the cluster of Chat Noir posters on the wall before she made a big decision.

"Tikki?" Said kwami looked up at her chosen with a "Hm?" "I've decided.", Marinette said, strength and stubbornness in her tone. "Its time I took my own advice." Tikki tilted her head to the side with another curious "Hm?" "I'm gonna go for it!", cried Marinette, swooning happily. "I'm gonna tell Chat Noir how I really feel!" Tikki perked up at that. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!", said Marinette, rising to her feet. "I talked a big game to Kim about being brave with his own crush. Its time I made my actions match my words. And what better day to confess to the one who love than the Day of Love itself? If I'm gonna do this, now's as good a day as ever! As a wise girl once said, don't hold back! Go for it! No regrets!"

Tikki smiled and flew up to hover over her chosen's shoulder. "So, you're gonna rewrite the poem and give it to him?" Marinette thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No.", she said, walking over to gaze lovingly out her window. "I don't need a poem when I can tell him to his face." Folding her hands over her heart, she closed her eyes and whispered with a dreamy smile on her face, "I love you."

Tikki squeaked with delight at her chosen's impending love story and flew over to hug her cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Marinette! That's it! Just think of Chat Noir, and speak from the heart!" Marinette held her hands over her kwami to return the hug. "Thanks, Tikki. But I can't do it as Marinette! Time to transform!"  
\-----------------  
Nino was waiting at the mailbox outside of Adrien's mansion with two strawberry-flavored heart-shaped lollipops when he heard the gates creak open. He turned just in time to see his buddy dash out, gripping a green envelope in his hand. His eyes were all lit up as he waved the envelope in the air like a trophy. Nino gave him an encouraging grin. "Nice, dude!"

Adrien faced the mailbox, then looked back at the card in his hand. "Moment of truth..." Could he really do this? Did he really have the courage to confess his feelings to Marinette? Nino certainly thought so. Holding the lollipops in one hand, he used his other to pat Adrien on the shoulder with a wide grin. "You got this, dude." He gave him a thumbs up.

Adrien placed a soft kiss to the green paper and took a slow, deep breath to calm himsekf. Slowly, but surely, his shaking hands moved towards the mailbox opening, beads of sweat forming on his head, his heartbeat getting faster and faster with every inch his Valentine got closer to the box. You got this you got this you got this you got this you got this... At last, the card slipped from his fingers and through the slot, sliding inside.

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Then, a grin formed on his face. "I did it!", he cried, like he couldn't believe that he had had the guts after all. He started jumping up and down like he had just scored the winning goal in a sports game. "I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it!" He hugged Nino, taking the dark-skinned boy with him into the air as he continued to jump up and down.

Nino only took his friend's excitement with a grin, knowing that it was completely justified. "I knew you could, dude!", he laughed out. "Never doubted you for a second!" He pulled himself out of the hug and offered the blonde boy one of the heart-shaped lollipops. "To celebrate!" Feeling like he could take over the world, Adrien proudly accepted the candy with a suave grin that was usually reserved for when he was masquerading as Chat Noir.

Before their lips could taste the sweet treats, both their cellphones rang at the exact same moment. Putting their celebration on hold, they pulled the devices from their pockets and saw that they had each received a text message from Chloe. "Chloe?" "I get why she texted you, dude,", said Nino. "But why me?" Shrugging their shoulders, they both opened the texts and shared a collective gasp of horror.

They had both been sent a photo of Kim, kneeling on the bridge, holding out his heart-shaped box with a beautiful charm inside. The knee he was kneeling on was in a dirty puddle, wetting his jean leg, and a empty chip bag clung to the side of his face as he looked towards the camera, looking embarrassed and heartbroken. "What a witch!", Nino shouted, his typical "go with the flow" attitude breaking and replaced with anger.

It clicked in Adrien's mind. Chloe was the girl that Kim had been talking about confessing to, the one he had bought the charm for. Adrien knew he must've not mentioned her name to Marinette when he told her about his Valentine's Day plans. The mayor's daughter was Marinette's number one foe. The baker girl would never encourage anyone to go after Chloe of all people.

"Unbelievable!", Adrien exclaimed.  "First Marinette, now Kim?  Did Chloe not get the memo that its the day to spread love, not embarrassment?!"  "Dude...", said Nino, still staring at his phone screen.  "I hope Marinette doesn't do the same thing to you."  Moments later, his hands flew to his mouth, but by then, it was too late.

Adrien went into full panic mode and jumped onto the mailbox, trying to open it back up and take back his Valentine before it was too late.  "What have I done?!  What have I done?!"  "Dude!  Dude!", Nino cried, trying to calm his bro.  "Chillax!  I was just kidding!....kinda.  C'mon, you know Marinette!  She's the exact opposite of Chloe!  Even if she does reject you, she'll be super nice about it."  Adrien choked.  "...and I'm not helping.", said Nino in a deadpan voice, slapping himself on the forehead when he realized he had just made things worse.

He looked back up at a frightened Adrien, crouched up on top of the mailbox like a stray cat, but with a sad puppy-dog face, when he caught a glimpse of something just overhead.  "Dude!"  He pointed towards the sky, and Adrien followed his line of vision to see a new akuma.

You could tell that Hawkmoth had created this one especially for Valentine's Day.  He was decked out in black and red, and flying over the treetops of Paris with the assistance of big black-and-red wings that made whooshing sounds when they flapped about.  He carried a crossbow in his hand, and the chest of his costume had a white heart that was broken into two halves.

The akuma saw the heart-shaped lollipop that Nino was holding, and his face twisted into an ugly sneer.  "All hearts must be destroyed!"  The villain whipped out an arrow and shot it at Nino so fast that he finished the job before he or Adrien could react.  Adrien cried out his best friend's name and rushed over to see if he was alright.  In response, Nino shoved both lollipops onto the model's chest, making them stick to his designer shirt.  "Seriously?  Nino, why did you do that?!"

Suddenly, the red-hatted boy raised his head, and Adrien gasped in horror when he saw that Nino's lips had turned into the same color black as trees that had been rotted for centuries.  "You're not my bro!  You're a joke!", sneered Nino at the other boy.  "Marinette's gonna laugh her head off at your pathetic attempt at poetry!"  And with that, he ran off, cruelly laughing over his shoulder.

To say that Nino's words did not hurt would be a lie.  But deep down, Adrien knew that his best friend was not really himself.  He spun around to look back at the akuma of the week.  Looking closer, he noticed a jeweled brooch pinned onto the villain's chest, and Adrien almost immediately recognized it from the photo of Kim giving Chloe his Valentine gift.  The only difference was that the colors had changed from gold and baby blue to black and cherry-red.  "Its Kim's pin!", he cried with realization as the akuma flew off on dark angel wings.  "He's been akumatized!"

He ran to a secluded area in the park, prying the sticky sweets off his shirt.  "No time to panic about my love life!  We gotta stop him before he turns the City of Love into the City of Hate!  Plagg, claws out!"  
\-------------------  
Chat Noir had his back up against the wall of the building, keeping his balance on the thin ledge of the window he stood by.  This was going to be harder than he thought.  With his ability to fly and attack from far distances, Dark Cupid was definitely going to be one of the more challenging akumas.

"Chat Noir!"  He turned his head to see his lady land nimbly on the ledge beside him.  "I've been looking all over Paris for you!  There's something I have to talk to you about..."  "It'll have to wait!  There's a—"  Ladybug silenced him with a finger to his lips.  "No!  I have to tell you right now, before I lose my nerve!"

She took a deep breath.  This was it.  This was the moment.  She was putting her heart on the line.  She stared into his beautiful, glistening eyes, green as peridots, dotted with flecks of gold, that never failed to captivate her.  Smiling softly at him, she started to speak gently.  "Chat Noir...I..."  At the last moment, her bluebell eyes darted to glance behind him, and her expression shifted from loving to panicked.  "Look out!"

It all happened so fast, Chat Noir had no time to react until it was all over.  Ladybug threw her arms around him and turned the. Both around so that they had switched places on the window ledge, and she took an arrow, meant for her partner, right to the back.  Chat gasped in horror, instinctively pulling Ladybug tighter as Dark Cupid flew off to darken more hearts.  "My lady!  Are you okay?!"

"Chat Noir...", she gasped out weakly, never releasing her hold on him, never pulling her head away from his shoulder.  "I...I loathe you!"  Chat's heart sank.  He did not need to look at her face to know that her lips had turned black.  "Ladybug!  Snap out of it!", he cried, trying to push her off, but she simply gripped him tighter, trapping her in her arms out of hate and not love.  "You're nothing, Chat!  And nothing to me!  You're just some dumb mangy alleycat!  I hate you!"

Finally pushing her off, Chat Noir leapt off the window ledge and off to safety, just barely avoiding Ladybug's yoyo.  The infected heroine swung her yoyo and twirled it onto a chimney on the roof, using it to scale the building to the top. Once there, she came face to face with Dark Cupid. "I can help you crush Chat Noir, but you must give me his miraculous in return." Ladybug grinned wickedly. "No...problem."  
\-------------  
Chat Noir raced on foot towards Le Grand Hotel, trying his best not to have a nervous breakdown. He didn't know how he was going to defeat Dark Cupid without Ladybug. She was the only one who could purify the akuma. He had to figure out a Plan B. But first, he had to get to Chloe. If her rejection had really been the cause of Kim's akumatization, it was inevitable that Dark Cupid would circle round to her to make her pay personally. And as much as she may have had it coming, Adrien couldn't allow anyone to hurt her, both as his friend, and as a hero.

He finally made it to the hotel, stumbling through the sliding doors to find Chloe and Sabrina hanging around the lobby. "Chloe!" Both the mentioned blonde and her minion looked up to see the partner of their idol dart up to them, baton in hand and panic on his face. "Chloe! You've gotta hide! You classmate Kim got akumatized, and there's not telling what he'll do if he finds you!" "Why would he go after moi?", Chloe asked, looking surprised at the notion, like it was impossible for anyone to hold a grudge against her (which Adrien knew fully well wasn't.).

Chat glared at her. He was usually very patient with Chloe, but that patience had already been worn quite thin, what with her humiliating both his crush and another classmate of theirs in less than a day. He forgot himself and his secret identity for a moment, and blurted out, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you stomped on his heart and captured him in his lowest moment, sending it to all of Paris?"

Chloe's ear canals must have been closed off from her head swelling up, because she didn't seem to hear what Chat said. "He's probably just jealous. I'll show you why!" She sashayed over to a corner of the room. Chat's line of vision followed her until she stopped beside her destination point and cried "Voila!", gesturing to the piece like a trophy. Chat gaped.

It was a giant blowout version of his newest ad for a unisex cologne, released at the beginning of the month for Valentine's Day, framed in gold. The sweet sunshine face of Adrien Agreste stared upwards, smiling at what was supposed to be the scent of the cologne. In real life, he had found it too strong for his taste, but had pulled off the facade by focusing on Marinette's scent implanted in his mind, how she smelled of chocolate brownies and lavender all the time.

"This is Adrien Agreste, my best friend in the whole wide world!", Chloe bragged, not seeming to notice or care about the hurt look the passed Sabrina's face when she heard Adrien being called her best friend. "He's gorgeous, right? Super rich, too. He's madly in love with me. Kim's obviously just jealous that he can't compete with my Adrikins!"

Chat Norir's first response was to shudder at that dreaded nickname "Adrikins", but then he noticed some writing at the bottom of the ad. Walking over and kneeling before the poster, he squinted and began to read the inscription out aloud. "To Chloe, the most wonderful girl in the universe and the love of my life, signed...wait, that's what you had me sign?!"

Chloe's head whipped around to stare at him in confusion. "Huh?" The young hero immediately stiffened, realizing what he had just said, that in his shock and anger, he had forgotten he was currently Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste, the boy that Chloe had taken advantage of and tricked into signing a declaration of love for her, without his knowledge.

Luckily for him, Dark Cupid swopped into the hotel at that moment, laughing wickedly and aiming arrows at the three teenagers. Chat grabbed Chloe and dragged her out of the lobby, barely avoiding getting hit by an arrow. Chloe took the hint and went running up the sidewalk, screaming her head off, all logical thinking blocked from her mind by the terror she was experiencing now.

Chat Noir breathed a sigh of relief seeing her too scared to remember his mistake. He only prayed to whoever was up there that Chloe would forget his slip of tongue once this was all over. This akuma might be tough, but at least his timing was on point. He didn't have too much time to relax, however, as his partner dropped by right before him, her lips still coal black from Dark Cupid's spell. "Chat Noir!", she remarked menacingly, spinning her yoyo around.

Chat Noir struck a pose for battle, baton raised high. "I don't wanna fight you, Ladybug!" Ladybug responded with a "bleh". "That friendliness! Its so revolting! You are definitely not my friend!" Her words wounded him, but Chat knew that they weren't really her. They were just from Dark Cupid's influence.

Their battle took them to the Parisian rooftops,until finally, Ladybug yoyo string was wrapped around his baton. A game of tug-o-war began, more at stake than just a losing title. "Why are you so full of hate, Ladybug?", he exclaimed. This was not the friend or partner in his memory. The Ladybug he remembered was kind and selfless, and would never try to hurt anyone, not even if they were akumatized.

"Because hate conquers all!", was her answer to his question. "No! That's not true!", he told her, still trying to keep his baton close to him, despite her strong pull threatening to yank it away. "Hate doesn't conquer all! Love does!" Suddenly, memories of the class lesson flashed in his mind. "Love." The prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess., said Madame Bustier. Only love can conquer hate!, said Rose.

With their words echoing in his head, Chat knew at once what he had to do.  The question was, could he do it?  He was incredibly fond of Ladybug.  She was his trusted partner after all, and one of his best friends.  But he didn't have any romantic feelings towards her.  Those feelings were reserved for the girl who sat behind him in class.

Besides, if the kiss did return Ladybug to her old sweet self, what would she think of him once she came to her senses?  Kissing her on the mouth without her consent could ring quite a few alarm bells, especially since he was a boy and she a girl.  Even if there were a few gray areas, girls could still misread the situation gravely.  Still, given the situation, Chat supposed he had no other option.

"You're just biding time!", snarled Ladybug, still trying to yank his baton away.  "Fight me!"  Chat Noir revealed his signature devilish smirk.  "I'll do better than that."  He loosened his feet from planting firmly on the rooftop, allowing's Ladybug's strength to pull him close to her by his baton.  She looked shocked at his sudden closeness, and his apparent pleasure in it.  "What are you doing?"

He simply grinned.  "Pucker up, milady."  He closed his eyes and gently pursed his own mouth, leaning on close.  The corrupted Ladybug screamed in horror.  She quickly pulled back her yoyo, unwrapping the string from around Chat's staff and used it to swing away from the puckered-up perpetrator.  "So close..."

The chase between the two heroes then went backwards, with the chat chasing the bug on the same Parisian rooftops, but in the opposite direction she had chased him.  When they came to the fountain, she shot her yoyo at him, hoping to knock him backwards.  But instead, his feline reflexes helped him catch the yoyo in his hand, and he yanked it towards him with all his might.

Ladybug went flying towards him, then past him, her back hitting the pole of a streetlight lamp.  Not wasting a moment, Chat ran around her, wrapping her yoyo string around her body, tying her up to the pole.  She squirmed under the string, trying in vain to break free.  Still gripping her yoyo, Chat stalked towards her confidentially.  "Come on, m'ladybug.", he said suavely.  "Just a lil' peck for your kittycat."

He tried to plant one on her, but she dodged her head away every time.  Finally, he grabbed her nose with two fingers so she'd stay still.  He sighed heavily.  "I can't believe I'm about to do this.", he muttered.  Closing his eyes, he gently puckered his lips and leaned in to break the spell on his now-horrified partner.

But the moment before their lips could meet, an arrow came spiraling between their faces.  Out of instinct, Chat Noir jumped back for his own safety, accidentally dropping the yoyo in the process.  Ladybug took the upper hand and pulled the string off her person, taking back her yoyo.  Dark Cupid landed right next to her, and they shared a fist bump.  "How ya gonna beat us now, cat germs?"

She threw her yoyo up in the air.  "Lucky Charm!"  Chat's blood froze in his veins.  Ladybug's Lucky Charm always produced a product of some sort that would always help them defeat their enemy.  Of course, she had never used it on a hero before.  There was no telling how this would end for him.

From the flurry of ladybug, a red heart-shared lollipop with black polka dots fell into her hands.  "A lollipop!", she screamed, angered beyond rational thinking.  "What in the name of Miraculous am I supposed to do with this?!"  Chat Noir let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding in.  Thankfully, the hate from Dark Cupid's spell was stopping her usual clever Ladybug thinking.

Outraged, she thrust the the lollipop into Dark Cupid's hands in a fit of anger.  The akuma tried to shake it off, but the gooey substance stuck to his gloved fingers.  Finally, he gave up and pulled out another arrow to shoot Chat Noir, who prepared himself to dodge the attack.  But when Dark Cupid tried to release his arrow, the weapon clung to his goopy hand.  Chat Noir laughed at his foe's frustration.  "Looks like you're caught in a sticky situation!"

"I don't need a stupid lucky charm to beat you!"  Ladybug went charging towards Chat Noir, who only smirked.  "Perfect."  She thrust her yoyo out, but once more, he caught it and pulled her towards him.  Wrapping his arms around her in a tight lock, he prepared himself.  "Here goes nuthin'."  And without another moment's hesitation, he cupped her face, leaned in and kissed her firmly yet gently on the mouth.

He kept his focus on the mission, not letting himself enjoy it, although he could have sworn he felt her kissing him back.  Seconds later, Ladybug pulled away, shaking her head.  When she looked straight ahead, Chat was relieved to see that her  lips had returned to their true shade of dusty pink.  She turned her around, glancing at her surroundings, looking dazed and confused.  "Huh?  What...What happened?  What am I doing here?"

"No time to explain!", he called, running over towards Dark Cupid, who was wiping the lollipop goo from his fingers.  Chat raised a gloved hand and summoned his Cataclysm.  Just as Dark Cupid was reaching for his arrows, Chat Noir placed it on his arrow holder strap, and it disintegrated, making his arrows fall scattered to the sidewalk.

Chat snatched his charm and tossed it to Ladybug.  "Happy Valentine's Day."  Ladybug caught on as soon as the charm fell into her hands, realizing it must be where the akuma was hiding.  "Aw, you shouldn't have!". She dropped it to the floor and stomped on it, breaking it into two.  "Oops."  The black butterfly fluttered out of the pin, and Ladybug wasted no time purifying it.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"  At once, everything returned to normal in a matter of seconds.  Once Kim was de-akumatized, Ladybug scooped the repaired charm off the ground and handed it back to him.  "Here.", she said kindly.  "Give this a girl who really deserves it."  Kim took back the charm, but didn't say anything.

Just then, Chat Noir's ring gave our a beep.  "Oh man!  I gotta go!"  He started to run off, but Ladybug's voice stopped him.  "Chat Nour, wait!  We need to talk!"  In a moment of panic, Chat blurted out, "Look, I'm sorry about the kiss!  I had to break the spell, and—"  Ladybug looked at him confused. "Kiss?  What kiss?  No, I wanted to—"  She was interrupted by the beeping of her earrings.

"Sorry, m'lady.  But it'll have to wait till next time.", he told her.  "We're about to turn in to pumpkins.  And I don't think either of us wants to see that."  Ladybug gave him a nod of understanding, and they went running off in opposite directions.  
\-------------  
"Well?"  Adrien looked at his kwami with confusion.  They had just detransformed in a secluded area in the park.  "Well, what?" "Now that Chat Noir's saved the day, aren't you gonna get your poem back from the mailbox?  Adrien suddenly remembered how panicked he'd been in the face of rejection triggered by Chloe's photographic cruelty.  Now, he shook his head.

"Nope.  Fighting Dark Cupid made me realize...even though there's a lot of hate everywhere, love stills wins.  And If I'm gonna win Marinette's heart, she needs to know how I really feel."  Plagg gagged as he saw his chosen look up with a dreamy expression on his face, his hands folded over his heart.  "You're gonna make me barf my cheese back up, kid!"  
\-----------------  
"C'mon, girl!  Talk to me!"  Alya was gently pushing her best friend to open up on why she had become so glum since meeting up with her at the chocolate shoppe.  "Is this still about what Chloe did?"  "Alya, I'm fine, really I am.", Marinette insisted.  But she wasn't.  She had seen Alya's footage taken during the fight between Chat Noir and the cursed Ladybug.  Even though she knew that she hadn't really been herself at the time, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of the awful things she'd said to the love of her life.

They entered the bakery, and Tom and Sabine immediately noticed the dismal look on their daughter's face.  "Whassa matter, macaroon?"  "Sorry, Madame Cheng, I already tried.", Alya told her bestie's mother.  "She won't say anything."  Tom smiled.  "Well, maybe this will cheer you up!"  Marinette looked at him to see that he held a heart-shaped card cut from green paper in his hand.

"The mailman dropped this off a few minutes ago.", he explained, walking around the counter and to his daughter with a grin.  "Its addressed to you!"  Marinette blinked twice as her father handed her the card.  "For me?"  Tom nodded and followed his wife into the back of the bakery to work on some new pastries.  Valentine's Day was their busiest day of the week.  Marinette opened it and began to read aloud, her heart swelling with every word.

"Your hair shines like the twilight sky,  
Your eyes are gorgeous blue.  
I look at you and wonder  
If you long for me like I long for you.  
Ma cherie, the answer's yes.  
I'll be your Valentine.  
Please accept me as your soulmate  
Because darling, you are mine."

When she finished, she was over the moon.  "Its the most beautiful thing I've ever read!" She swooned, holding it against her heart.  "Well, who's it from?", asked Alya, curious over who was her bestie's secret admirer.  Marinette looked back at the card, searching for a name, but couldn't find one.  "I dunno...its not signed."  "Well, one thing's for sure.", Alya added with a chuckle.  "Whoever writes as sappy as you do has to be your soulmate!"

They bud their farewells, and Alya left, allowing Tikki the chance to slip out into sight and peer over her chosen's shoulder at the poem.  "It is a beautiful sentiment.", she commented.  Marinette looked closer, then gasped softly.  "Tikki!  Its an answer to my poem!  But I thought I threw it away!"  "Well, someone must have found it it."  "Yeah, I figured that.  But who?"

Just then, there was a clanking sound outside.  Marinette spun around just in time to see a black cat smaller off into the alley.  Her heart skipped a beat.  "Tikki...do you it could've come from Chat Noir?"  The ladybug smiled at her chosen's beaming expression at the possibility.  "I suppose its possible..."

The next thing Marinette did was go out and but a picture frame to put her poem in.  As she placed it with the other Chat Noir themed pictures and trinkets in her bedroom, she felt her soul soaring over the tops of the fluffy white Paris clouds.  "You know what, Tikki?", she remarked, staring at the framed Valentine with googly eyes and a full heart.  "This Valentine's Day turned out to be pretty amazing after all."  
\-------------  
"What do you mean, you don't remember, dude?", exclaimed Nino.  "Did you sign the card or not?"  Adrien squirmed under his best friend's questioning gaze.  "I dunno!  I got distracted by...by some stray cat that came scratching at my window!  I chased it away, and I was running late to meet you, and...its all a blur!"

Nino laughed so hard, his stomach hurt.  "I can't believe it!  The guy forgot to sign the card!  Dude, I love you, but sometimes, you seriously bug!"  Adrien sighed as the word "bug" made him think back to the kiss he had shared with Ladybug earlier that day.  "You don't know the half of it."

Not exactly how he had hoped his first Valentine's Day as a public school kid would go.


	10. Horrificator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the set of the class horror film, Adrien faces a nightmare worse than any monster—kissing Chloé.

"Agent Smith, its too dangerous! We must evacuate!"  "You are suggesting we run, Officer Jones?  After it devoured my family, my friends, even my beloved dog, Sniffles?  Never!  I won't run!  I no longer fear it!  I'm going to face it!  Then I'll—Waaaah!"  "CUT!"

Nino stopped recording while Ivan took off his monster mask, unveiling his apologetic face.  "Sorry, Mylene."  Nino groaned in frustration.  "Mylene, that's the tenth take we've done today, and we're only on the first scene!"  "Fourteenth, actually.", said Alix, holding up the clapperboard, showing the actual number of takes that had been done.  "But who's counting?"  Alix, apparently.

Adrien smiled softly as Juleka touched up his makeup.  He was playing the male lead in the student film that the class was putting together for the Mayor's film festival.  Mylene was starring opposite to him, and Ivan was portraying the titular movie monster, Horrificator.  Alya had written the script, Nino was directing, Marinette was the producer, and everyone else was the stage crew.  It would be a lot smoother if Mylene did not cower at the sight of Ivan in his monster mask every time.

Mylene shrunk behind the teacher's desk, ashamed and embarrassed.  "I'm sorry, everyone.  I'll do better on the next take, I promise."  Nino shook his head.  "That's what you said, like, thirteen takes ago!  Mylene, you're playing a hero for the special forces!  You can't be scared of the monster!"  "I know.", said Mylene.  "But that...that monster mask he's wearing is so realistic and scary!"  Her boyfriend smiled.  "Its just big ol' me, Mylene!  Nothing to be scared of!"

"If you ask me, he doesn't even need a mask!" Chloe and Sabrina's haughty laughter rang out around the room, earning scowls from their classmates. Those two weren't lifting a finger to help with production, unless making unnecessary criticisms and snide remarks about everything was considered helping. And in the eyes of their peers, it wasn't.

Mylene sighed as she took deep breaths.  "Okay, okay...I just need to sing my happy song, it always makes me feel better."  Folding her hands together and closing her eyes, she started walking backwards as she sang softly and sweetly under her breath.  "Smelly wolf, smelly wolf, stinky breath and slimy..."  Suddenly, on her journey backwards, she gently bumped into Adrien, and the shock, however small, was enough to send her screaming.

"And the Oscar for most pathetic scaredy-cat, afraid of its own shadow goes to...Mylene!" Chloe's cruel chortle made Mylene shrink in shame. Adrien patted her back comfortably and shot his childhood friend a dirty look. "Chloe! Seriously?" Even worse, she showed no remorse for her hurtful words, shrugging them off with a "Yeah, so what?"

Unable to take anyone more humiliation at Chole's hand, Mylene ran out sobbing. Adrien deflated as he watched Ivan run after his girlfriend. Another day at school, another victim of Chloe's, making his question his friendship with the fellow blonde.  
\-----------------  
"Epic, Chloe!  Just epic!", Nino shouted, frustrated and out of sorts.  "What are we supposed to do without our lead actress?!"  "Oh, who needs her anyway?", the blond snob scoffed.  "She was totally lame!"  Ivan appeared in the doorway, the gentle giant wearing a scathing look that was rarely seen on his face.  "You're lame!  Mylene is crying her eyes out in the bathroom, thanks to you!"  "Me?!  Lame?!"

The seeds for a fight had been planted, and they were starting to sprout.  But, like the leader and peacemaker she was born to be, Marinette stepped in at just the right moment to put out the growing flames before they broke out into a wildfire.  "Hey!  Hey, everyone!  Chill out!"  She spoke softly to Ivan.  "You're right, Chloe is lame.  But fighting isn't gonna bring Mylene back."

She spoke to the rest of the class.  "I'm the producer,", she declared.  "And I'm gonna do everything in my power to finish filming tonight."  "The deadline for the Parisian Student Short Film Festival is tomorrow evening,", Max reminded her.  "Precisely twenty-six hours, fifteen minutes, and thirteen-fourteen seconds from now."

"Thank you, Max.", she said cheerily, despite the fact that his reminder had not been helpful at all.  In fact, it had only put more pressure on her.  She went through the lists on her clipboard.  "And we still have editing, post-sound, soundcheck..."  As she listed off the various things that still needed to be dome, she felt herself come to the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"And who's going to take Mylene's part?", asked Adrien.  He did not want to put more pressure on his darling Mari, but as the leading male, he needed to know who would step in as his opposite.  It was then that Chloe spoke up.  "Uh, me of course!", she stated, like it was the most obvious choice in the world.  Alya immediately stepped in to stomp out any chance of that happening.

"You haven't even read the script!", she reminded the snotty blonde.  Chole simply strutted past the infuriated brunette and sashayed over to the teacher's desk.  "Of course I have!  The first scene anyway!"  Her blue eyes locked onto Adrien, and he got a sick feeling, like just getting off a wild rollercoaster, when he saw the coy look she was giving him.  "I can even tell you it ends with a kiss between Agent Smith and Officer Jones!"

The moment she said that, Adrien could have sworn that if you asked anybody on set, they would have said that his face turned a sickly green.  He am,ired Chloe, she was his friend, but she was not on the list of people he would like to give his first kiss to.  Heck, she was so far off the list, she wasn't even aware that it existed.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Adrien's mind.  Wait a minute...there wasn't a kiss in the script!  At least not the one he had been given.  He grabbed his own copy, scanning the text for anything that mentioned a kiss between his character and the female lead, but could find nothing printed there that proposed anything of the sort.  "Wait, where does it say that?!"

Nino coughed nervously.  "Uh...I kinda added that in."  He looked at Adrien sheepishly.  "It was just a little tweak!  You know, to move the story along..."  Alya stomped right over to him, looking furious.  "Wait, you edited MY script without telling me?!  That's low!", she growled, enraged that her artistic genius had been compromised without her consent or even her knowledge.  "You mean OUR script!", he reminded her bluntly.

"Oh, who cares who wrote what?!", droned Chloe.  "We've gotta film this thing, don't we?"  "She's right.", chimed Max.  "Principal Damocles is only allowing us to use the school until six pm sharp.  Which leaves us only nine hours, twelve minutes, and twelve seconds.  Eleven, ten, nine..."  "Okay, we get it, Max!", barked Alya.

Suddenly, Nino was yanked away from Alya by Adrien.  The red-hatted boy came face-to-face with his best friend, only to find that he looked even madder than Alya.  In fact, Adrien looked all but ready to murder Nino for the change in the script.  "Nino!  How could you write a kissing scene for me?!", he hissed at the boy, so hard he got spit on his glasses.  "I'm sorry, dude!", Nino replied in a whimpering whisper, wing the saliva from his vision.  "That was before Chloe stepped in!"

"Me and Chloe kissing cannot happen!  No way!", Adrien insisted, making motions with his arms to dismiss the mere idea.  Just the thought of it made his skin crawl.  He had to do something before he had to swap spit with her.  As luck would have it, Marinette then chose to step in and answer his prayers like the real-life angel she was.  "Hey, now!  We can't just let Mylene give up!  Its wrong!"

Adrien ran over to support her.  "Marinette's right!  We all chose her to play the leading female role!  It wouldn't be fair to just hand it to another girl!"  Marinette smiled at him.  "Yes!  We're all in this movie together, and she needs our support!"  She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he went ridged at her touch.  "Thank you, Adrien, for giving me yours."  His face turned as red as a beet.  "Uh, its, uh, no problem!", he said, hoping that his voice did not betray him.  Inside, he was doing a victory dance.  He had helped her out!  She was thanking him!

She smiled and walked towards the doorway.  "I'm gonna find her and bring her back!"  "Always trying to save the day, aren't you, Marinette?", said Chloe in a mocking tone.  "Good luck finding whatever filthy hole that scaredy-cat has crawled into!"  Marinette ignored her and marched right out the door to look for the true star of their production.

Adrien gave a dreamy sigh as he watched her leave with her head held high, not letting Chloe's cruel words deter her.  She was so brave and determined.  It was one of the things he loved most about her.  
\----------------  
Ten minutes passed by, but there was no sign of Marinette or Mylene.  Finally, after waiting, Nino threw his arms up in the air and declared, "We can't wait anymore!  The clock is ticking!  Chloe, you're gonna have to fill in!"  The blonde squealed with delight, while her childhood friend looked horrified.  "Nino!"  The red-capped boy shrugged.  "Sorry, dude.  The show must go on."

Adrien gulped as he looked at the snooty blonde before him, batting her fake eyelashes at him.  He worried that the nauseous feeling would take over, and he would project vomit all over her face.  "Horrificator, scene one, take fifteen!"  And so his worst nightmare begun as the cameras rolled, capturing his dusgusted and terrified face for prosperity.

"I'm not scared of the...Horroficator thingy..."  Adrien frowned as she stole a glance at the script in her hands.  She wasn't even putting any effort into the role, no emotion, no heart, so soul.  It was clear that she had only taken the part so she could steal Adrien's first kiss.  "Officer Whatever-Your-Name-Is."  She tossed the paper over her shpulder and leaned towards him.  "Now kiss me!"

Adrien's stomach did a triple somersault worthy of a gold medal as she drew closer, eyes closed, lips pursed.  No.  No way.  He didn't care if the show must go on.  Nino could be as mad as he wanted.  There was no way Adrien was going waste his precious first kiss on Chloe Bourgeois.  The closer she got, the more he leaned back, turning his head away to protect his lips from being robbed of a real smooch, one of mutual affection.

Just then, Marinette barbed in right in the nick of time, Alya close in tow.  "Cut!"  Adrien silently thanked the Lord for her timing, although Nino was not as grateful as he was.  "Marinette, what gives?  I'm the director, I say cut, and no one else!  Comprendae?!"  "And I'm the producer!", said Marinette.  "Mylene is supposed to be the star of this movie!"  No way was she gonna let Chloe get rewarded for bullying another student.

"We're out of time, and from what I can see, Mylene is MIA!  Let's take it from the top, people!"  Adrien shot his "bro" a nasty glare as Juleka came over and starting touching up his makeup for the next take.  He pouted and grumbled as his friend starting trading orders and barbed words, each determined to claim dominance over all.  If this was all a punishment for Adrien, it was certainly doing it's job by making him suffer.

Somewhere among the chatter of arguing, he heard Chloe suggest that Agent Smith become Nurse Smith, defending the decision by the logic that she would look cuter.  Adrien rolled his eyes at that.  How would that fit into the script?  When the filming had begun, he had been excited to get started.  Now he just wanted to get this over with.  His photoshoots were less hectic than this.  And he had someone screaming at him the whole time, telling him how to pose or smile.

Finally, Marinette seemed to lose it.  "Everybody, calm down!  This movie is a team effort!"  She looked at Chloe and said something that surprised everyone.  "Chloe, your nurse idea is perfect."  "Of course it is!  Because its mine!", the blonde bragged, tossing her ponytail about.  Marinette looked up.  "Oh, but you don't have a uniform!"

Catching on, Alya added, "Right!  Which is why that idea wasn't believable in the first place!"  Marinette took Chloe by the arm and led her towards the doorway, saying, "Why don't you and your assistant go down to the nurse's office and try on uniforms?"  Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as Chloe commanded Max and Kim to go with her and Sabrina downstairs, "promoting" them to wardrobe and bodyguard, and left with the three close behind.

"Nice going, Miss Producer!", Nino cried.  "Now we have no lead!  Again!"  "Yes, but now we've gotten rid of Chloe.", said Marinette smugly.  Adrien chuckled, partly in relief that his angel had rescued his first kiss from that conniving little brat.  "And now what?!", asked Nino in frustration.  "We go find Mylene!  She's around here somewhere!", she told him.

"I told you!", Nino yelled, getting agitated that everything he was saying was going in one ear and out the other.  "Tick, tock, there's no time!  We need a lead, now!  We—"  All of the sudden, she stared at Marinette's determined face, and a lightbulb went off in his head.

He glanced over at Adrien, who was sitting on the desk while Juleka worked on his face, from the corner of his eye, and a devilish half-smile formed on his lips.  Why hadn't he thought of this before?  Looking back at Marinette smugly, silently patting himself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant idea, he said to the producer, "Alright, Marinette.  Since you chased away our replacement, you'll just have to fill in for the role.  Its only fair."

At those words, Adrien fell off the teacher's desk, startling Juleka and making her drop her powder compact and brush.  Mauve-colored dust fell on his clothes, and she quickly knelt down to brush it off before the stains set in.  Nino did not wait for Marinette's response.  He simply plucked the clipboard out of her hands and called to the makeup artist, "Juleka!  Work on her face!  Roll in five!"  Juleka grabbed her supplies and rushed over to apply powders and blushes to accentuate Marinette's natural beauty.

Once again, Nino found himself being grabbed and pulled aside by Adrien, only this time the model looked more panicked than angry.  "Nino!  What are you thinking?!"  Nino slung his arm over his bro with a grin.  "Dude, this is your chance!  Don't you wanna kiss Marinette?"  He jerked his thumb to the blunette in makeup.

"Well, yeah, but not like this!", said Adrien frenetically.  "I had our first kiss all planned out!"  He looked upwards with a dreamy smile.  "Candles everywhere, rose petals scattered all over the floor, the full moon at it's highest peak...just the two of us, alone, in private..."  Nino raised an eyebrow as his friend went into detail.  It was a tad too descriptive to be a occasional daydream.  He must have put a lot of thought into this.  "Dude, you know the chances that setting for anyone's first kiss is one in a hundred, right?"

He smiled as he placed his hands on his buddy's shoulders and steered him to his spot.  "Think of it this way, dude.", he whispered.  "Your first kiss on video will be a great memento for the kids."  Adrien started breathing heavily as he prepared himself for what was about to happen.  He was going to have his first kiss with Marinette!  A few minutes ago, he had been faced with a nightmare in real life.  Now it seemed like all of his dreams were coming true.

Marinette frowned as her blue eyes scanned the script Nino had put in her hands.  "Fine.", she told the director rather gruffly.  "But I'm only doing this as a favor.  As soon as Mylene comes back, she'll get her old role back."  Nino gave her a thumbs up.  "Okay, fair enough."  He leaned in towards Adrien, smirking devilishly.  "And just think, after tonight, you'll get to say you kissed Marinette."

Marinette walked over to her assigned spot as Juleka finished applying the powder to her face.  Adrien gasped softly, as he noticed how the makeup made her skin glow even more than usual, making her look like a goddess under the fluorescent lights.  "Amazing...", he breathed.  She looked at him with one pretty eyebrow raised.  "What did you say?"  "I said, it has to be amazing!  The scene!", he squawked like a sick parrot.

"Alright, let's roll.", commanded Nino.  "Camera!"  Alix begrudgingly held up the clapperboard.  "Horrificator, take 16.", she said without an ounce of enthusiasm.  She clapped it, and Nino said, "Action!"  Marinette started.  "I'm not scared of that monster, Officer Jones."  As she spoke her line, the rest of the world melted away.  It was so natural, so believable, like she had been born to play this role.  She sounded every bot as brave and determined as the heroine she played.  And yet...it seemed kinda familiar to Adrien.  Like he's somehow heard that same tone and way of voice before...

He didn't have time to dwell on it any further as she leaned in, her bluebell eyes gently fluttering shut.  He placed his hand on her face, cupping her cheek to pull her closer as he closed his eyes.  Their lips puckered slightly at the same time.  He could feel her breath on his face.  His heartbeat accelerated.  He could already imagine his soft lips on his.  Just a little bit closer...

"CUT!"

The romantic mood around them shattered.  Adrien opened his eyes just in time to see Marinette's head—amd sweet lips—turn away from his, and he fought the urge to scream in agony.  When he saw that Chloe was the one who had ruined his chance, it was nearly the final straw that made him terminate his friendship with her for good.

Thanks to an akuma attack, they never did end up filming the original script, which meant Adrien never got another shot to kiss Marinette.  Poop.


	11. The Mime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets another disappointment from his dad, but the universe makes up for it later.

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Yes, I...I'm sure he'll understand, sir." Adrien sighed. He had heard those words all too many times before to not know what they meant by now. "My dad's flaking again, isn't he?", he asked, not looking at Nathalie. "Let me guess...something came up?" It was an excuse that he was all too familiar with, much more than he should have been. It was enough to make him wonder why he even got his hopes up in the first place.

"Yes...but he's reserved the best seats in the house for you, Adrien.  Front row.", Nathalie told him, like that would cheer him up. It didn't. "As usual.", he moped, staring out the limo window. "The best money can buy." He sighed. All the money in the world couldn't buy him what he really wanted—special time with his father.

All of the sudden, the car skidded to a stop, throwing him and Nathalie in for a ride.  Adrien looked out the window to see what the hoopla was about, and saw Ladybug right next to the car, spinning her yoyo as a shield.  "Get out of the car and find a place to hide!  I'll cover you!"  Adrien rolled his window down and leaned his head out the window.  "Ladybug?!  What's wrong?"  She only ever showed up when there was an akuma attack.  If she was here, that could not mean good things for him and his father's servants.

She looked at him, amd her blue eyes went wide.  "Adrien?!"  He blinked twice.  "You know my name?"  She looked panicked for a moment, like she had said something she had not supposed to.  "Oh, uh, I...of course I know your name, silly!  Everyone in Paris knows!"  Adrien blinked again.  "Oh.  Right."  They chuckled nervously together.

Their awkward moment was cut short by something blowing up next to Ladybug on the car.  Adrien looked out to see a man standing by.  His skin was violet, and his face was made up like a mime's.  He was even dressed for the part, striped shirt, bowler hat and all.  He was glaring deadly in Adrien and Ladybug's direction.  Another akuma.  Just as he feared.

Heeding Ladybug's warning, Adrien and the others got out of the limo and started running for a safe spot.  While Nathalie and the Gorilla were distracted by their haste to get away from the new supervillain, Adrien slipped away unnoticed behind a wall and let Plagg out of his shirt.  "We've gotta transform now, Plagg!"

"Aw, I thought I was gonna be a spectator, not a performer!", Plagg said with his usual lazy-bum attitude.  "What about the show?"  "No time!", said Adrien.  He had a much bigger, more important role to play in life.  And it was his cue.  "Plagg, claws out!"  
\--------------------  
The Mime had made a clean getaway, summoning an invisible car to drive towards his targets.  "He's already up again!", cried Ladybug, dusting herself off.  "We have to catch up with the bus before he does."  Suddenly, she felt a strong arm hook itself around her waist.  Looking up, her face turned red to match her costume when she saw it was Chat Noir, smirking cheekily, pulling her closer.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing?!", she stammered, staring at him like he'd lost his mind.  "Good thing you have friends in high places.", he jested, taking out his bo staff.  "Hold on tight."  Anchoring the bottom to the cobblestone road, the baton extended, growing longer and longer, carrying Ladybug and Chat Noir over the rooftops of Paris, until they were sitting at even level with the Eiffel Tower.

Ladybug tried not to have an aneurysm over how tightly he held her against him.  "I-I-I can do this myself, y'know.", she choked out, looking in the opposite direction, pretending to be looking for something, but really just trying to hide her blushing face.  "But we're the Cat and Bug team!", he insisted. "You mean, Bug and Cat team.", she said jokingly.  
\----------------  
Adrien walked into the theater. Once again, the day was saved, thanks to Ladybug and Chat Noir. Aftter that akuma, he deserved a little R&R. As he went to take his seat in the front row, he looked where he had been assigned and froze.

There, sitting in the seat right next to his, was Marinette, her midnight-colored hair glittering under the lights coming from the stage. She was talking to Alya, who was sitting on the other side of her. From the corner of her eye, she noticed him, and faced with a smile and a wave. "Hi, Adrien! I didn't know you were coming to see the play!" He laughed as he walked towards his seat. "Didn't know you were gonna be here, either."

"Yeah, well, Mylene's dad is headlining.", Marinette explained. "So she snagged us good seats." Thank you, Mylene., Adrien thought as he sat next to Marinette. He was still a little bummed that his father wasn't there, but if this was the universe trying to make up for it, he gladly accepted the replacement.

"Hey, did you bring my phone?", asked Alya. "Oh, sure!", said Marinette. She went digging through her purse. Alya glanced away for just a second, and noticed something off about the boy sitting next to her. He was staring at Marinette, with wide, starry eyes and a big cheesy smile on his face. The girl beside him was ignorant of his gaze, her bluebell eyes focused on the contents of her purse. When he noticed Alya staring, he immediately turned away, blushing redder than the stage curtains.

"Here you go!" Alya's attention was stolen by Marinette, who placed the cell phone in her hand. "Oh, thanks." Marinette looked towards the stage, and so did Alya. But every so often, her brown eyes wandered back to Adrien, and every time she looked, he was staring at Marinette with a goofy, zoned-out expression.

Ever since Marinette had told her all about Adrien's strange behavior around her, Alya had been much more observant of him whenever he was around. It hadn't taken long for her to deduce that Marinette was right about him being weird. But it puzzled Alya. Adrien was a teen idol, who met celebrities and royalty normally. What was it about her best friend that made him so wacky?

Alya was gonna find out. That she promised. She was a reporter, after all. And reporters searched for the truth.


End file.
